10 December 2009 / REUTERS, KABUL
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited US commanders in Afghanistan on Wednesday, promising that President Barack Obama’s surge of extra forces would give them what they need for success against the Taliban.
Gates was the most senior US official to visit Afghanistan since Obama announced last week he is sending an extra 30,000 troops next year before beginning to withdraw them in mid-2011. The Pentagon chief’s visit has been marked by a much less confrontational tone towards Afghan President Hamid Karzai after months of unabated criticism against him for not doing enough to tackle corruption and mismanagement in his government. Afghanistan has since announced some anti-corruption measures, such as setting up an anti-graft unit and placing some ministers under investigation for embezzlement. On Wednesday the Afghan government and the United Nations jointly announced they would hold an anti-corruption conference on Dec. 15-17. Gates toured a new US-led command headquarters for all NATO combat troops in Afghanistan on Wednesday in a sprawling compound at Kabul airport where scores of command staff sit in rows below giant screens with live video feeds of the battlefield. The headquarters was set up under a restructuring led by NATO and US commander General Stanley McChrystal to centralize command that had been divided among NATO allies. “We have all the pieces coming together to be successful here,” Gates said.
