CNN news 2009-12-12 加文本

2009-12-12 cnn

It’s Mr. Gates’s job to advise the President on military issues like the war in Afghanistan, and that is where the defense secretary is right now, meeting with the military officials and Afghan leaders following President Obama’s announcement that he plans to send 30,000 additional US forces to Afghanistan.

Bob Star has more on Mr. Gates’s trip there, some of the challenges that the US troops face there. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced trip. He’s here, of course, for the first time since President Obama made the announcement that 30,000 additional US troops will be headed to this war zone.

The Defense Secretary plans to meet with troops, commanders and he has already met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to talk about the way ahead, Secretary Gates assuring Karzai that the US has a continuing commitment to this country.

For where we are right now at FOB, Forward Operating Base Shank, south of Kabul, really illustrates the continuing security challenge in this country. The US army task force that operates here has already had the plus-up from 300 troops to 3000 troops operating in this region to try and get a handle on security against the Taliban and the insurgents. One of their major jobs here is to continue every day to secure Highway 1, the main road to Kabul. The road is secure right now, they tell us, because the troops, US and Afghan troops, are out patrolling every day. If the troops won’t out there, the feeling is that the Taliban and the insurgents would again rear their head and control the road and really hinder the commerce and development in this region. So that’s the bottom line here. It’s a continuing spotty security picture. Where the troops are, security improves. But where the troops are not located, security still very troublesome in many areas of this country.