India has assured Afghanistan's interim administration headed by Hamid Karzai to consider its request for assistance in setting up its national army as part of reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

The request for Indian assistance for raising a new army of Afghanistan was conveyed by the visiting Afghan Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rashid Dostum at his meeting with Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes here on Thursday.

India is looking at providing training to Afghanistan's military personnel and also possibly some equipment even though the United States and Britain would play the main role in building up a new army for Afghanistan. India has already

agreed to help

Afghanistan's interim government to raise a new police force.

Dostum, during his meeting with Fernandes, thanked India for its assistance to help oust the Taliban from Afghanistan and suggested New Delhi open a consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, the strategic key town northern in Northern Afghanistan, close to border with Uzbekistan, where Dostum hold considerable influence. Dostum is of Uzbek origin in the multi-ethnic composition of Afghanistan's ruling Northern Alliance.

India has already deputed its doctors in a hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif. Dostum's discussions also covered Afghanistan's need for Indian assistance in education, health care, agriculture, information technology and communication sectors also. The Afghan minister

also met Indian Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer.

India has already announced a 100 million dollar aid to rebuild the infrastructure in Afghanistan, 100 million tones of wheat to that country and sent doctors and other medical personnel to Indira Gandhi hospital in Kabul.

Reflecting the growing relations between India and post-Taliban Afghanistan, Dostum is the third minister of the interim administration of that country to visit India in the last two months. Earlier, Interior Minister Younous Qanooni and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah had visited New Delhi.

India has already reopened its embassy in Kabul and appointed veteran diplomat Vivek Katzu as its ambassador to that country. Katzu had been in charge of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan desk in the Foreign Ministry for six years.