Washington ? Afghanistan’s young government is worried that President Bush will become so distracted by Iraq that he can’t focus on the continuing fight against terrorism in Afghanistan.

Afghan foreign minister Abdullah on Tuesday made the rounds in the nation’s capital, telling Congress and the Bush administration that Afghan President Hamid Karzai faces a severe test: making good on promises of security and economic recovery. That test will be made more difficult, Abdullah said, if U.S. support for Karzai’s regime falters because official attention is diverted elsewhere.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Abdullah said Karzai expressed his concerns to Bush when they met at the United Nations last week. Abdullah said he planned to raise the issue with U.S. officials again during this visit, even though Bush “assured us and reassured us” that Afghanistan will remain a priority.

“While there are other major concerns for the United States like the Middle East, like Iraq, the focus from the campaign against terror shouldn’t be shifted, because that campaign is far from being over,” Abdullah said. “Our point, at this stage, is that Afghanistan is a test for the international community, for the United States. Success or failure will be judged by the whole world, and will have its implications.”

The foreign minister came to the United States to give an update on Afghan reconstruction and a looming humanitarian crisis as 1.6 million Afghans who were displaced by war return home.