KABUL — Two of the top Canadians in Afghanistan have been to a half-dozen potential NATO expansion areas in recent weeks, assessing needs and how Canada might meet them once its current military mission is done.

Ambassador Chris Alexander and Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie have ventured far from the capital to places such as Parvan province, north of Kabul; Faryab, to the northwest; Bamiyan, to the west and Jalalabad, to the east.

"My impression is that a small presence in many of these regions would go a very long way," Alexander said in an interview. "One size does not fit all. Every region needs to be evaluated on its own merits."

Such flexibility would be ideally suited to Canada's undermanned, underfunded military, which would be challenged to launch more missions any time soon of the scale it has now in Afghanistan.

Alexander and Leslie will visit more provinces in coming weeks after the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously Monday to support expansion of NATO's 5,500-strong force in Afghanistan beyond the capital.

The alliance is considering employing provincial reconstruction teams, or PRTs, each consisting of between 50 and about 400 infantry soldiers and combat engineers who would restore infrastructure in areas outside Kabul as part of an expanded International Security Assistance Force.

"It's going to take several go-rounds of military planning," Alexander said. "They're starting to go to regions to look at the ISAF PRT option."

"That is a process that we're all working on and heavily engaged in."

The Afghan government, which took over after a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban militia last year, has little control in most of the 32 provinces, where governors often rule like warlords with private militias.

Afghanistan's interim president, Hamid Karzai, has warned that unless the world steps up its reconstruction aid and sends more troops, Islamic radicals could regain control of the country.

Canada has committed two six-month rotations of about 2,000 troops apiece to the Kabul-based force, or almost 40 per cent of the total contingent.

Alexander said Canada cannot commit more troops before the second rotation ends next summer, but he and others are already looking at future options.

"We will consider the option of a PRT down the road," he said.

"It will be one of the options on the table that will be given at some point to a prime minister, to a cabinet, to look at for continuing engagement in Afghanistan."

Another option will be to do nothing, he said, but that's not the one he seems to prefer. Canada has already committed $250 million in aid money to Afghanistan over two years, and is withdrawing troops from Bosnia next year.

"There is a determination to show some staying power in Afghanistan," said Alexander.

"It's quite likely we would do something on some scale, but that could be within ISAF Kabul, a PRT or it could be in some other area."

"Keep in mind, the (U.S.-led) coalition is still actively engaged in combat operations in many parts of this country and we have contributed to the coalition in the past, as well."

Alexander said Canada should keep its options open for now, carefully planning and making a final decision only at the last minute. Much can change in Afghanistan between now and the time the second tour ends, he said.

Taliban and al-Qaida rebels have been launching increasingly bold assaults in recent months. Many of the attacks have taken place in the south and east, near the border with Pakistan, but they are creeping closer to Kabul.

"The status quo is not acceptable if we want to ensure the continuity of Afghanistan," said Leslie. "Things have got to change; things have got to get better. The dangers are extreme."

Leslie said the overall security situation in and around Kabul is "degrading."

"Over the last month, we've had more attacks ... than in the last year," he said. "There is a certain amount of Taliban resurgence, which is still arguably being contained (by Afghan and American-led forces)."

"There is no doubt that the Taliban are targeting a variety of actors. The persons that they're targeting are coalition forces, ISAF forces, aid workers, human rights workers and, for goodness sakes, even those who are trying to bring fresh water to children who would die without it."

As well, rival warlords have been fighting the last two weeks in Mazir-e-Sharif, to the north, where the British have already established a PRT.

Said Alexander, however: "The security situation . . . is an irritant, sometimes in individual districts it's an obstacle. It is not an issue that is preventing reconstruction of Afghanistan from going ahead."