Brisbane Times
US troops to stay in Afghanistan: Gates
By Robert Burns
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says both the US and Afghan governments have agree the American military should remain involved in Afghanistan after the planned 2014 end of combat operations to help train and advise the nation's forces.
"Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're willing to do that," Gates told a group of American troops at Bagram air field, which is the headquarters for US and NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan.
"My sense is, they (Afghan officials) are interested in having us do that."
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A soldier asked Gates about a long-term military presence, and Gates noted that Washington and Kabul had begun negotiating a security partnership. He mentioned no details. He was to meet later in the day with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Meanwhile, two policemen were killed and 25 other people were injured in twin bomb blasts in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Monday.
The first explosion went off in front of a mosque and, when police and locals rushed to help the wounded, a second bomb detonated close by, provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said.
The interior ministry in Kabul said the blasts killed two police officers and injured 25 other people - 16 police and nine civilians.
The ministry blamed the bombing on the "enemies of peace and stability", a phrase often used to refer to Taliban and other associated militants.
On Sunday, the Afghan National Security Council discussed the matter of a long-term security accord with the US, according to a statement issued by Karzai's office.
The statement said Karzai told the council that the US wants the deal worked out as soon as possible. And he said that on the Afghan side it was a matter not just for the government but for the Afghan people to decide.
The US has said it wants a long-term relationship with Afghanistan, in part to ensure the country does not again become a haven for al-Qaida or affiliated terrorist groups.
Karzai's interest is rooted in his desire for US security guarantees and commitments that could help bring stability and prosperity.
Gates is at the start of a two-day visit with US troops, allied commanders and Afghan leaders to gauge war progress as the Obama administration moves towards crucial decisions on reducing troop levels.
A planned visit to a combat outpost south of Kabul was cancelled due to poor weather, and instead Gates made a brief flight north to Bagram, headquarters for the US-led command responsible for eastern Afghanistan.
The Pentagon chief visited a combat hospital, where Major General John Campbell told reporters three soldiers had been admitted earlier in the day with wounds from a roadside bomb blast.
In his remarks to troops assembled inside a cavernous building on the air field, Gates offered encouragement.
"I know you've had a tough winter, and it's going to be a tougher spring and summer, but you've made a lot of headway," he said.
"I think you've proven, with your Afghan partners, that this thing is going to work and that we'll be able to prevail."
Defence Department spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters flying with Gates from Washington that the secretary wanted to get a first-hand feel for changes on the ground since he last was in Afghanistan in December.
The US is committed to beginning a troop withdrawal in July. But the size and scope of the pullback will depend on the degree of progress towards handing full control to the shaky Afghan government.
Morrell said Gates expects to hear from troops and commanders that US and NATO strategy is making important progress against the relentless Taliban, who are thought to be gearing up for a spring offensive.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-world/us-troops-to-stay-in-afghanistan-gates-20110307-1blc1.html
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