The U.S. has officially asked Korea to help stabilize and restore a war-torn Afghanistan.

A U.S. State Department official said that in a Security Policy Initiative meeting Saturday, Seoul and Washington discussed on a wide range of possibilities, emphasizing the need to send police and military trainers to Afghanistan.

He said Washington has made no requests in particular but discussed other options including reconstruction, development and public security.

The U.S. also tapped the possibility of cooperating in dispatching a Korean naval destroyer to Somalia to protect Korean fishing and cargo ships from pirates.