The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has urged the West to develop a new strategy for his country, warning that more troops will not necessarily improve security.

“Military operations are no longer enough,” he said as the deaths of British and coalition soldiers in Afghanistan reached their highest monthly total of the eight-year war. “We have to rethink the way we do things — without that there won’t be any improvement.”

Karzai called for negotiations with the Taliban. Even Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, should be encouraged to attend talks, he said.

Speaking yesterday in an office so heavily secured that journalists are no longer allowed to take in pens or lipstick, the president expressed his sorrow at the mounting toll of British troops but cast doubt on the value of sending more.

American soldiers have been pouring into Afghanistan over the past few months as the United States more than doubles its strength from 32,000 to 68,000 this year, along with 36,000 troops from other western allies. This is partly to secure the country for the elections next month, yet the situation continues to worsen.

“I don’t think the increase in troops will address the problem,” Karzai said. “We need to concentrate on finding other avenues of defeating terrorism and seeking peace.

“We must engage in negotiations, bring back those Taliban who are willing to return, who have been driven out by fear and coercion and the mistakes we’ve all made. They are part of this country and must be called back.” He said he welcomed a speech last week by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, in which she held out an olive branch to Taliban militants who renounce violence.

“We’ve been talking about this for years but didn’t have enough support or understanding from our allies,” he said. “I see in the new administration a lot more willingness to engage in peace talks.”

The Saudi government has already hosted some tentative negotiations. Karzai promised that, if re-elected as president, he would make talks with the Taliban and other militant groups, such as Hezb Islami, his priority. “If Mullah Omar wants to come and talk, he’s welcome — it’s a desire we have and we should try for it,” he said. “Without a sincere peace process on all sides, matters will only get worse.”

So far this month 46 foreign soldiers have been killed, 16 of them British. “We don’t want British mothers finding their 18-year-old sons coming home in coffins,” Karzai said. “We’re very sorry about what has happened in Helmand.”

He said he had spoken twice to Gordon Brown in the past week. The second occasion was on Friday, when Brown telephoned to ask for more Afghan forces to enter the fray.

“He’s right about that,” said Karzai. “We also want more of our own forces to be present on the ground, to provide protection and security. I’ve promised to do whatever I can to increase Afghan forces. I’ve also requested the UK and others to provide speedier training to Afghan forces.”

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