There are growing fears in Pakistan that the United States, which has 35,000 troops in Afghanistan, might take unilateral action against al-Qaeda and Taliban in tribal areas and go for “hot pursuit” of militants.

Australia has 1,060 soldiers in Afghanistan, the most of non-NATO countries, and won’t increase its troops, Smith said.

Rice also defended the continued detention of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. She said the Bush administration wanted to close the detention centre but “the problem is there are dangerous people there who cannot be returned and put among innocent populations.”

Violence by Taliban has escalated in Afghanistan since 2006 and on July 11 Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted in a suicide attack which killed 60 people, including a Brigadier-ranked defence attache and an IFS officer.