The post-Taliban Afghanistan has been trying to reach an agreement on having long-term strategic partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),the country's Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak disclosed Sunday.

"To have long-term strategic partnership with NATO, I have discussed the issue with NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer some five months ago and hope to finalize it soon," Wardak told newsmen after return from Brussels.

Wardak, who attended the meeting of NATO-members states defense ministers in Brussels last week, noted that having partnership with NATO would help boost and equip Afghan security apparatus.

However, he declined to say if the post-Taliban nation were eager to join the western military pact either now or in future.

He made this comment while Taliban-linked insurgency is on rise in the southern region amid NATO's expansion in the rugged terrain where hundreds of the remnants of the former fundamentalist regime are said to have hidden.

Taliban-linked insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 700 people including militants, Afghan and US-led foreign soldiers as well as pro-government religious and social figures since beginning 2006.

To root out militants and ensure security, NATO has decided to increase its strength from some 10,000-strong force to 18,000 in the coming months.

NATO forces would remain in Afghanistan at least for five years and their extension, according to the Afghan minister, depends on security situation.

"We want NATO to strengthen its relations and further support us," Wardak said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2006)