Canadian Brig. Gen: NATO Troops Hampered

Norwegian soldiers, part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), praparing for loading the Afghan Ministry of public health's humanitarian aids into a German ISAF helicopter for survivors of the flood at the Herat's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) air field, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006. Medical relief teams traveling by donkey arrived Saturday in a mountainous province of western Afghanistan, where flash floods killed at least 53 people, including six children, and left dozens missing, officials said. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq, Pool) (Musadeq Sadeq - AP)

He also said fighting extremism requires collective effort, a comment possibly aimed at Pakistan, which has come under increasing pressure to crack down on Taliban and al-Qaida militants operating along its border with Afghanistan. Osama bin-Laden is among those believed to be hiding along the porous frontier.

On Friday, Karzai said at a news conference that Afghanistan was not blaming Pakistan for the rise of violence in the country's south. "We are seeking help from the government of Pakistan," he said.

Violence in Afghanistan has spiked in the last year, the deadliest since the ouster of the Taliban by U.S.-led forces in late 2001. More than 3,700 people have died from insurgency-related violence, and insurgents have set off a record number of suicide and roadside bombs.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the conference that rising violence had not only undermined the country's security but was hindering ongoing development efforts.

"Dealing with this challenge is a collective responsibility," Singh said.

The two-day meeting was expected to address ways to encourage regional cooperation in fighting the drug trade that flows through Afghanistan and to address the issue of scarce shared water resources, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

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Associated Press Writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report from New Delhi.