Afghanistan's international allies, which have around 110,000 troops tackling the Taliban, are expected to push at Thursday's talks in London for Afghan forces to take over security duties as rapidly as possible.

"We will be trying our very best to be ready to defend the major part of our country from two to three years and when we reach the five-year end point, that's when we would be leading," Karzai said at a meeting with students.

The training of the Afghan army and police force is a priority for the host of nations on which Afghanistan depends for security in the face of a growing Islamist insurgency.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, sitting alongside Karzai at the Downing Street meeting, said the Afghan security forces were expected to grow to number about 300,000 in two years.

The Afghan army currently numbers about 100,000 men, with the police force at around 90,000.

Brown also backed a new push for reconciliation with moderate Taliban, including by offering them jobs and security to stop fighting the government -- a plan that will also be a focus of Thursday's meeting.

"To weaken the Taliban, you divide them and you offer those people who are prepared to renounce violence... a way out. And that is something that we will do and something that president Karzai wants to do," Brown said.

Karzai reiterated that such an offer would only be made to Taliban who are not members of the Al-Qaeda network.

"We will continue to seek peace in Afghanistan using all instruments that are available to us," Karzai said.

The president said he would call a traditional meeting in Afghanistan, called a jirga, to discuss the reintegration plan.

In the run up to Thursday's conference, he has been lobbying international partners to fund a reintegration programme which is seen as a step towards peace talks with the insurgents that could include some level of power-sharing.

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