Afghanistan likely to have permanent US military

By Peter Spiegel in London
Published: April 5 2005 21:47 | Last updated: April 5 2005 21:47

Afghanistan's defence minister on Tuesday gave one of the clearest signs yet that Kabul is open to permanent basing of US forces in the country, saying his government was in discussions with the US that could include air bases in Afghanistan after the current nation-building process ends.