By Sayed Salahuddin KABUL (Reuters) - Afghans welcomed Barack Obama's U.S. election victory on Wednesday, saying they looked forward to a greater focus on the war in their country, which has killed at least 4,000 people this year alone. The failure of President George W. Bush's administration to send enough troops to Afghanistan after toppling the Taliban for sheltering al Qaeda leaders behind the September 11 attacks allowed the militants to regroup to the point they now threaten the Afghan capital, analysts say. "Barack Obama should focus on three things; how the terrorists are trained and nourished, the development of major projects in Afghanstan such as irrigation, power and transport ... and help our government ... so that Afghans take leadership of the fight against corruption and drugs," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen. During his election campaign, Obama was critical of President Hamid Karzai over his failure to tackle widespread corruption, the booming trade in illegal opium and over the effectiveness of his government -- all factors that fuel the insurgency. Of several dozen Afghan officials, parliamentarians and influential journalists gathered at the capital's only five-star hotel, the vast majority expressed support for Obama and the Illinois senator romped home in a mock poll of those present. But no one in Afghanistan underestimates the size of the task ahead for the new U.S. administration in tackling the country's complex, formidable problems and ending 30 years of conflict. General David Petraeus, the new overall commander of U.S. troops fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was in Kabul on Wednesday as part of a strategic review of operations with a growing chorus of Western leaders now saying the conflict cannot be won by military means alone. The United States has more than 30,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, but together with NATO allies, suffered more casualties during the summer fighting season than in Iraq where there are more than double the number of troops. The U.S. military is likely to recommend that the new president focus more on development and promoting good governance in Afghanistan in order to undercut the insurgency. Other NATO nations with troops in the war-torn country have also agreed the need to eventually negotiate with the Taliban to bring peace. It will be difficult for the new U.S. administration to affirm such talks, however, unless the austere Islamist, but locally focused Taliban clearly splits from its more extreme al Qaeda backers who have an international agenda. (Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by Bill Tarrant) | 
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