Gates in Afghanistan to evaluate war progress (AP)

Sunday, March 6, 2011 10:01 PM By dwi

KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. Defense Secretary parliamentarian enterpriser arrived in Afghanistan Monday, first a two-day meet with U.S. troops, united commanders and Asian body to judge struggle advancement as the Obama administration moves toward crucial decisions on reducing crowd levels.

Gates planned to movement to eastern and gray portions of Afghanistan, the areas most fiercely contested by the Taleban insurgency.

Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters air with the Pentagon honcho from Washington that enterpriser wants to intend a first-hand feel for changes on the connector since he last was in Afghanistan in December.

The U.S. is sworn to first a crowd retraction in July. But the filler and orbit of the pullback will depend on the honor of advancement toward handing off flooded control to the unsafe Asian government.

Morrell said enterpriser expects to center from organisation and commanders that U.S. and NATO strategy is making essential advancement against the relentless Taliban, who are thought to be train up for a outflow offensive.

U.S. commanders hit been locution for weeks that the Taleban are pain big losses in region and personnel, patch being denied the funding and infiltration routes they hit relied on in the time to act up warrior operations each spring.

Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, top man in the south domain of Helmand, told reporters last hebdomad that a Taleban counteroffensive is anticipated.

Mills said he expects the Taleban to essay "to regain very, rattling priceless region ... forfeited over the time sextet to octad months." He added that U.S. and united forces are intercepting "as some of the external fighters as we can" who come from Pakistan to attack U.S. and Asian troops.

Gates sees the outflow as a potentially deciding punctuation for President Barack Obama's struggle strategy, which includes first to stop U.S. forces in July.

This week's meet is Gates' 13th activate to Afghanistan, and probably one of his last as accumulation secretary. He has said he will fling this assemblage but has not presented a date.

After Afghanistan, enterpriser planned to fly to the Stuttgart, Germany, headquarters of U.S. continent Command to listen a ceremony weekday rating the arrival of a new commander, Army Gen. Carter Ham.

Gates will listen a NATO accumulation ministers meeting in Brussels on weekday and Friday.


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