Taliban fighting rises ahead of NATO force

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday that his government will recruit local tribesmen to fight the biggest increase in Taliban violence in years.

A US-led coalition soldier and seven Afghan civilians were killed in the latest violence in the south of the country, which has been hardest hit by the rise in insurgent attacks.

Speaking to a group of tribal elders from eastern Afghanistan, Mr Karzai said he did not want to form militias that could clash with rival tribes.