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Deal for international peacekeepers in Kabul signed

British Army Gen. John McColl, commander of the force, and U.S. Brigadier General David Kratzner examine the agreement

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- British and Afghan authorities signed an agreement Friday that will pave the way for international security forces to help restore order to Afghanistan's capital.

"It's a great day for Afghanistan," said British Maj. Gen. John McColl after signing the agreement.

McColl and Afghanistan's interim interior minister, Younis Qanooni, reached the agreement Monday. It provides the framework for 4,500 to 5,000 international security personnel to be deployed in Kabul, British sources said.

More than 200 French and British forces are already in the city.

"We hope that this signature will bring to Afghanistan the stability and peace that we needed for so many years," said Hamid Karzai, the chairman of Afghanistan's interim government. "We also hope that the cooperation between the Afghan state and the international security force and the United Nations will bring to an absolute end the presence of terrorism and banditry in Afghanistan."

British forces will constitute a large part of the force -- about 1,500 soldiers -- and play a leading role in the International Security Assistance Force, which was part of the Bonn, Germany, agreement that established an Afghan interim government.

The first British peacekeepers arrived in Afghanistan before the December 22 inauguration of the new government, and before the two sides had agreed on the contingent's numbers and duties.

The first contingent of French troops arrived Wednesday at Bagram Air Base north of Kabul. They joined more than 200 British troops in Kabul, conducting joint security patrols with Afghan police.

As a result of the agreement, one British military source said, "We have very robust rules of engagement."

The international force will do some work to repair Afghanistan's nearly nonexistent infrastructure, such as restoring the Kabul airport. Its main objective, however, will be to provide security in Kabul. The personnel will work side-by-side with Afghan police.

More security forces could be deployed later in other Afghan cities as outlined by the Bonn agreement, but the current pact provides for troops only in Kabul.