Kabul: Afghan leaders expressed concern today that the killing of Benazir Bhutto would harm stability in the region and called for "honest" cooperation against extremism affecting both nations.

"Ms Bhutto was a friend of Afghanistan, a friend of peace and stability in our region," Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said after signing a book of condolence for the opposition leader, who was killed Thursday.

"It is a shock for us, for the democratic powers in our region," he told reporters at the Pakistan embassy in Kabul. Spanta was with Afghan President Hamid Karzai when he met Bhutto just hours before she was murdered in a killing Islamabad has blamed on Al-Qaeda, which is also said to be involved in growing extremist violence in Afghanistan.

Kabul wanted to work with the government of President Pervez Musharraf "to strengthen our common struggle against terrorism and I am sure we will have success", Spanta said.

Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak had a similar message at a media briefing with Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira.

"I think we need to stress this to the Pakistani leaders -- that terrorism and extremism is a threat for both of us and we need to very honestly cooperate and ... Further intensify our cooperation and efforts," Wardak said. Kabul has long called on Islamabad to step up efforts against militants who are based in its semi-autonomous tribal areas and cross into Afghanistan to carry out attacks on government and international troops.

Source : PTI