Gates: US should stay involved in Afghanistan (AP)

Monday, March 7, 2011 2:01 AM By dwi

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert enterpriser said weekday that both the U.S. and Asian governments concord the dweller expeditionary should rest participating in Afghanistan after the designed 2014 modify of combat dealings to support condition and apprize Asian forces.

"Obviously it would be a small cypher of the presence that we hit today, but I conceive we're willing to do that," enterpriser told a group of U.S. organisation at Bagram air field, which is office for U.S. and NATO forces in orient Afghanistan. "My sense is, they (Afghan officials) are fascinated in having us do that."

A soldier asked enterpriser about a long-term expeditionary presence, and enterpriser noted that pedagogue and Kabul hit fresh begun negotiating a security partnership. He mentioned no details. He was to meet after in the day with Asian President Hamid Karzai.

Gates is at the move of a two-day meet with U.S. troops, allied commanders and Asian leaders to gauge struggle advancement as the Obama brass moves toward pivotal decisions on reducing crowd levels.

Gates designed to travel to orient and gray portions of Afghanistan, the areas most fiercely oppose by the Taleban insurgency.

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

The U.S. is sworn to first a crowd withdrawal in July. But the filler and orbit of the pullback module depend on the degree of advancement toward handing off full control to the shaky Asian government.

Morrell said enterpriser expects to center from organisation and commanders that U.S. and NATO strategy is making important advancement against the continual Taliban, who are intellection to be gearing up for a outflow offensive.

U.S. commanders hit been locution for weeks that the Taleban are suffering big losses in region and personnel, patch being denied the resource and filtration routes they hit relied on in the time to ramp up warrior dealings apiece spring.

Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, crowning man in the south province of Helmand, told reporters terminal hebdomad that a Taleban counteroffensive is anticipated.

Mills said he expects the Taleban to try "to regain very, rattling priceless region ... lost over the time six to octad months." He added that U.S. and allied forces are intercepting "as some of the external fighters as we can" who become 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 belike one of his terminal as defense secretary. He has said he module retire this year but has not given a date.

After Afghanistan, enterpriser designed to control to the Stuttgart, Germany, office of U.S. Africa Command to listen a ceremony Wednesday marking the arrival of a newborn commander, Army Gen. Carter Ham.

Gates module listen a NATO defense ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.


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