KABUL, Afghanistan — Vice President-elect Joe Biden pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan during a visit Saturday, and the commander of NATO-led forces told him that thousands of new American troops expected this year will need more support against surging Taliban violence.
President-elect Barack Obama has promised to end the war in Iraq and refocus American military efforts on Afghanistan. Biden’s visit is a sign that Obama plans to make the region an immediate priority.
In a meeting with President Hamid Karzai, Biden “talked about . . . the fight against terrorism, American troop increases as well as equipping and supplying of the Afghan forces,” a statement from Karzai’s office said, without providing any details.
Earlier, America’s top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, told Biden that thousands of new American troops expected in the country’s south will need more support to combat surging Taliban violence.
About 32,000 U.S. military members in Afghanistan serve alongside another 32,000 NATO-led and coalition troops, the highest number since the invasion to oust the Taliban from power began in 2001.
The U.S. is rushing up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and some will go to its volatile southern provinces to fight the spiraling violence.
Biden also discussed Afghanistan’s priorities for 2009 with the United Nations’ top representative for the country, Kai Eide, U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said.
“Their meeting touched on security, political and developmental issues, including donor coordination, police reform and regional cooperation,” Edwards said.
During his meetings at NATO’s Kabul headquarters, the senator also applauded some of the U.S. troops stationed there.
“Thank you, I mean it sincerely,” Biden told the troops, according to a NATO statement. “It’s a big, big deal, what you’re doing here. You’re making a big sacrifice in a (challenging) environment. Thank you for your service.”
