KABUL : France's defence minister told President Hamid Karzai in talks in Kabul Saturday that his country would stand by Afghanistan, which is battling an extremist insurgency, the president's office said.

Defence Minister Herve Morin visited Karzai after arriving on a surprise two-day trip to meet French reinforcements deploying to a base near Kabul as part of a NATO-led force battling Taliban and other insurgents.

In their talks, Morin "assured his government stands by the people of Afghanistan," Kazai's office said in a statement.

"The president thanked the French government for supporting Afghanistan in security and reconstruction," it said.

Morin later flew to Kapisa, northeast of Kabul, to meet soldiers from an extra battalion of about 700 soldiers deploying at a base there that also has Afghan and US troops, an AFP reporter said.

France announced reinforcements to NATO's 40-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in April and the soldiers started arriving this month, taking to about 2,000 the number of French soldiers in Afghanistan.

They are due to be in place by the end of next month. Kapisa province, which adjoins Kabul, does not suffer the regular insurgent violence plaguing southern Afghanistan, but has seen some attacks.

Morin told journalists in Kabul that he had come to Afghanistan with a message of solidarity for the reinforcements and to stress that success against insurgents would not come from the military alone.

"Security, governance, development -- these are the three major axes to return peace to Afghanistan," he said at the French embassy.

The minister said the bulk of insurgents in the country were from its neighbouring countries, notably Pakistan.

"It is not a matter of demonising Pakistan but reminding it of its responsibilities," he said.

Pakistan is under international pressure to deal more effectively with Al-Qaeda and other militants who have sanctuaries on its territory, from where they are said to be plotting an international Islamist campaign.

Afghanistan depends on its international allies for help in fighting the extremist insurgency that was launched soon after the Taliban were removed from government in late 2001 by a US-led coalition.

There are nearly 70,000 international soldiers in the country, most of them with ISAF and about 14,000 with the coalition.

About half of the French soldiers in ISAF are in Kabul. Some 170 are in the southern city of Kandahar, where France has stationed six fighter aircraft for air support in efforts against the Taliban.

The French military is also helping to train Afghan army officers and their special forces.

Despite the growing strength of the international military deployments in Afghanistan, the insurgency has grown steadily with suicide bombings and other attacks almost every day.

Morin arrived after two French aid workers were kidnapped from their guest house in the central province of Day Kundi in the early hours of Friday as they were sleeping, their organisation Action Against Hunger said.

The Taliban, who have been involved in a series of kidnappings in Afghanistan, have denied involvement suggesting the kidnappers could be criminal gangs seeking ransom.

Afghan police said Saturday they were searching for the missing pair and did not know who had abducted them.

- AFP /ls