Kabul, Afghanistan – Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul on Sunday for his second visit to the Afghan capital since becoming the Pentagon chief, saying that although he believes progress is being made in the country, he wants to ensure there is no slackening of effort.
Gates first visited Afghanistan in January. Senior Defense officials said he believes things have improved since then, despite a rise in violence in the south.
Speaking to reporters on his plane en route to Kabul, Gates said he planned to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as the new U.S. military commander, Army Gen. Dan K. McNeil, and new U.S. Ambassador William Wood to get their assessments on whether coalition efforts in Afghanistan were being properly coordinated.
He expressed concern that with 42 countries and 12 nongovernmental organizations working on nation-building and reconstruction, it remained possible that officials were not creating an “overall strategy” to deal with security and development issues.
Gates has pressed European and Asian allies to step up their contributions to Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense officials said the anticipated Taliban spring offensive appears to have sputtered and argued that the NATO-led mission has pushed Taliban fighters out of their strongholds and captured key leaders.
One concern is the recent appearance of “explosively formed projectiles,” sophisticated roadside bombs that can penetrate armor and previously were found only in Iraq.
