By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee, Associated Press Writer   –  KABUL, Afghanistan –

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is vowing that the United States and the world will stand by Afghanistan even as fears are growing about the course of the nearly 9-year-old war.

Clinton acknowledged deepening opposition to international involvement in the conflict amid rising death tolls of foreign troops in the country. But she told an international conference on Afghanistan's future on Tuesday that the West was committed to the struggle against extremism. "We will answer these questions with our actions," she said.

Clinton said the conference, attended by senior officials from nearly 70 countries, was proof that "the world is with Afghanistan."