Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned that it will take 15 years before it is able to pay for the costs of maintaining its own security forces.<br/><br/>After talks with visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Mr Karzai said he hoped the US and the international community would continue funding them. <br/><br/>Both men have agreed that it was a priority to strengthen the Afghan security forces in order to help international troops tackle insurgents.<br/><br/>Mr Gates said the US would not turn away from Afghanistan and abandon it.<br/>His unannounced arrival in Kabul came a week after US President Barack Obama said he was sending 30,000 more troops. <br/>