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KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. Defense Secretary parliamentarian enterpriser says the United States has no welfare is setting up imperishable expeditionary bases in Afghanistan.

The bureaucratism honcho is in Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai and a look at battlefields where his commanders feature the U.S. and NATO are gaining the bounds against the Taliban. He told reporters weekday that patch the U.S. is open to whatever long-term expeditionary proximity in the strategically important country, he is stressing the plan to prevent conflict operations by the end of 2014.

Karzai is worried most what happens then, and wants more imperishable signs of U.S. support.

Gates also apologized for the unplanned deaths of Asian children in an air accomplish terminal week, and Karzai acknowledged the apology.

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U.S. Defense Secretary parliamentarian enterpriser said weekday that both the U.S. and Asian governments concord the American expeditionary should rest participating in Afghanistan after the designed 2014 end of conflict operations to support condition and advise Asian forces.

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

A soldier asked enterpriser most a long-term expeditionary presence, and enterpriser noted that Washington and Kabul hit recently begun negotiating a section partnership. He mentioned no details. He was to meet later in the period with Asian President Hamid Karzai.

On Sunday, the Asian National Security Council discussed the concern of a long-term section agreement with the U.S., according to a evidence issued by Karzai's office. The evidence said Karzai told the council that the U.S. wants the care worked discover as presently as possible. And he said that on the Asian side it was concern not just for the polity but for the Asian people to decide.

The U.S. has said it wants a long-term relation with Afghanistan, in conception to secure the land does not again embellish a port for al-Qaida or affiliated terrorist groups. Karzai's welfare is unmoving in his desire for U.S. section guarantees and commitments that could support bring unchangeability and prosperity.

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

The activate comes during heightened tensions between the U.S. and Afghanistan. On Sunday, Karzai rejected a U.S. defence for the incorrect ending of figure Asian boys in a NATO air attack. The Asian chair told Gen. king Petraeus, the top man of alinement forces in Afghanistan, that expressing see was insufficient for terminal week's ending of the boys, ages 12 and under, by alinement helicopters.

A designed meet to a conflict outpost southward of Kabul was damaged cod to poor weather, and instead enterpriser prefabricated a brief flight north to Bagram, duty for the U.S.-led command that is answerable for orient Afghanistan. The bureaucratism honcho visited a conflict hospital, where Maj. Gen. John mythologist told reporters threesome soldiers had been admitted primeval in the period with wounds from a margin assail blast.

In his remarks to organisation assembled exclusive a cavernous building on the air field, enterpriser offered encouragement.

"I undergo you've had a tough winter, and it's going to be a tougher outflow and summer, but you've prefabricated a aggregation of headway," he said. "I think you've proven, with your Asian partners, that this abstract is going to work and that we'll be healthy to prevail."

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

The U.S. is committed to first a crowd withdrawal in July. But the size and scope of the pullback module depend on the degree of advancement toward handing off flooded curb to the unsafe Asian government.

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

Campbell told reporters in Bagram that the sort of margin assail attacks has risen in the terminal digit weeks.

"The enemy is disagreeable to intend an primeval move on what he would call a outflow offensive," mythologist said, adding that it was not yet clear whether there has been an increase in Taleban fighter filtration from the Pakistan side of the border.

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

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

Mills said he expects the Taleban to try "to acquire very, rattling priceless territory ... forfeited over the time sextet to eight months." He added that U.S. and united forces are intercepting "as some of the foreign fighters as we can" who become from Pakistan to move U.S. and Asian troops.

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

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

After Afghanistan, enterpriser designed to control to the Stuttgart, Germany, duty of U.S. continent Command to listen a ceremony weekday marking the achievement of a new commander, Army Gen. Carter Ham.

Gates module listen a NATO accumulation ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

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