Afghan leader: Help needed to pay for larger army

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday it will be at least 15 years before his government can bankroll a security force strong enough to protect the country from the threat of insurgency.

Speaking at a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Karzai repeated his claim that Afghan security forces would take the lead in securing the nation within five years. But Gates suggested the U.S. can't wait that long.

"I would hope that we not only could meet the timelines that President Karzai has laid out, but that as more Afghans are trained we will be able to beat those timelines," Gates said.

Karzai's comments come a week after President Barack Obama's announcement that while the U.S. was sending 30,000 more troops, they will start coming home in 18 months.

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has set the goal of building the Afghan security force to 400,000 by 2013 — up from roughly 94,000 Afghan police officers and 97,000 soldiers.

When asked whether he would be able to sustain a larger Afghan force, Karzai said financial backing from the international community would be needed for years.