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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council is expected to extend the authorization of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan ahead of a high-level meeting on Sunday to focus on promoting national reconciliation in the country.
The final draft of a resolution extending the mandate for a year, which was circulated late Tuesday by France, reiterates the U.N.'s concern about "the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, al-Qaida, illegally armed groups and those involved in the narcotics trade."
The NATO-led alliance has raised its troop level to almost 40,000 in the face of an emboldened insurgency led by the country's former Taliban rulers that has demonstrated the fragility of Afghanistan's fledgling Western-style democracy. The United States maintains about 13,000 troops in a separate counterinsurgency force.
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