The suffering of the people of Afghanistan has been alleviated by the removal of the Taliban, the Labour conference has heard.

Addressing the party's annual gathering, the country's president Hamed Karzai said order was being restored.

In a speech in which he spoke warmly of the war against Iraq, Karzai said his people wanted to shake off "tyranny and extremism" in pursuit of liberty.

Since the war to oust the Taliban in his own nation, he said the country had witnessed the "operation of civilisation".

Under the old regime Afghanistan and its people "had lost control of their state and their country".

Watched by Tony Blair and senior ministers the Afghan leader said the country was in a state of transformation.

"We are liberated. We have political freedoms. We have freedom of the media," he said.

Karzai said some 2.3 million refugees had return since the collapse of the old regime.

There were now 4.2 million children going to school. These were "children who were banned from going to school for seven or eight years" under the Taliban.

He added that economic growth was racing ahead as currency stability took over from the chaos of the old regime.

Whilst the country has "our achievements" he admitted that the "struggle continues" - with problems such as drugs and looting still prevalent.

"It is a long shot. It will take years to complete," he added.

Karzai went on to wish the people of Iraq "the same freedom of self determination" now afforded to his own country.