US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is among those due to join the one-day talks on Afghanistan's future.

They expect to hear President Hamid Karzai call for greater control over foreign aid for reconstruction.

But Afghanistan's key foreign backers are also seeking assurances as they plan to withdraw troops.

The event, a follow-up to a donors’meeting held in London in January, is the biggest international conference Kabul has hosted in more than three decades.

Security forces are out in force, with scores of checkpoints appearing overnight on July 19

Kabul has been shaken by daring Taliban suicide attacks in recent months.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to host the conference along with the Afghan president, urged Mr Karzai to produce a "concrete action plan".

"We have been urging President Karzai to do more on good governance, particularly fighting against corrupt practices," Ban Ki-moon said.