KABUL — Canada will face pressure to renew its military commitment to Afghanistan before its current pledge expires in a year's time, says the outgoing head of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

In a conference call with reporters in Canada and Afghanistan on Friday, Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier said the war- and drought-ravaged country needs international support and he suggested that countries like Canada have moral obligations to respond.

Afghanistan still faces daunting challenges, he said, citing the continuing reconstruction process, the violent rule of warlords which has been a "millstone" around the necks of Afghans, and the escalating trade in poppies and their derivatives: opium and heroin.

He also pointed to the growing terrorist threat in Afghanistan, especially in Kabul, its capital of 3.5 million people where the ISAF operates.

NATO will come calling, predicted Hillier.

"Now is not the time for the international community to get cold feet," the general said, adding he expects Canada to remain with the Kabul-based force "for some period of time."

Already, Ottawa is committing small numbers of soldiers to U.S.-led efforts to train Afghan National Army recruits through 2008.

It is currently in the process of reducing the main Canadian contingent in Afghanistan to about 700 troops from 2,000, while also withdrawing large numbers of soldiers from Bosnia and Haiti.

The scaleback in overseas commitments is expected to last at least into next spring, allowing the undermanned military time to renew itself and possibly shore up its Afghan commitment again come next August.

Hillier relinquishes command of the 34-country, 6,300-member ISAF to a French general on Monday.

"It took the Balkans 10 years to get to where we are now that we can withdraw the bulk of our forces," he said. "We're very much at the front-end of that process (in Afghanistan) right now.

"We all know that pressure will continue for Canada to participate."

He said Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim asked him for 50,000 Canadian troops when he first met him six months ago. But there are only about 60,000 members in all of the Canadian Forces.

Afghans "have had enough of brutality, murder and killing during 23 years of war." They want peace and democratic government, he said.

Canada's focus is shifting with the new rotation, whose primary element is an armoured reconnaissance squadron 50 per cent larger than the one deployed before it.

The Edmonton-based members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) are expected to build on the work of their Quebec-based predecessors, patrolling Taliban strongholds in mountainous areas north and south of Kabul.

The sprawling area of Canadian responsibility, patrolled by 700 members of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battle Group, for the past six months, was taken over by a 550-member Norwegian-led force on Thursday.

A small contingent of Edmonton-based infantry are to man the gates at Canadian-owned Camp Julien, as well as outposts. They will also act as a quick-reaction force.

Canadian troops made their last patrols around the Afghan capital Thursday before operations were turned over to the Norwegians, who will work in a battle group with Belgians and Hungarians. The Canadians had conducted more than 3,800 patrols and 880 checkpoints over the past six months, with no casualties.

The contingent completed more than 150 projects around Kabul, spending about $400,000 on schools, orphanages, roads, police equipment, water projects and garbage collection.

Ottawa has made no formal commitment to the NATO force beyond August 2005.