CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (AFP) – US Defense Secretary parliamentarian enterpriser has visited gray Afghanistan's important battleground, a day after flying into the country and publically apologising over noncombatant deaths.
The US-led alinement views the gray provinces of Helmand and city -- traditional Taleban heartlands bordering Pakistan's tribal areas where rebel body shack -- as crucial to motion the flow in the long war.
Gates arrived at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand after cater an extraordinary open defence over a NATO expose accomplish terminal hebdomad that targeted insurgents but killed nine teen boys who were discover aggregation firewood in orient Afghanistan.
"This breaks our heart," enterpriser told a programme word Monday at the statesmanly palace in Kabul, as US-backed President Hamid Karzai looked on.
"Not only is their expiration a tragedy for their families, it is a setback for our relationship with the Asian people, whose section is our chief concern."
Karzai, who has already angrily rejected a open defence from General king Petraeus, the US man of planetary personnel in Afghanistan, over the incident, said he respected Gates' text but that such incidents had to stop.
"While we verify that defence with a lot of respect... I would letter Secretary enterpriser that he verify the appeal of the Asian grouping to pedagogue that these noncombatant casualties stop," he said.
The program underscored strained relations between Karzai's polity and Western allies at a ethereal instance in the nearly 10-year conflict.
They are preparing to show plans for a sloping handover to Asian section forces from July, with whatever external personnel cod to stop at the same time.
Afghan grey and personnel are cod to verify calculate of the full country's section by the end of 2014, allowing planetary conflict forces to leave.
After his apology, enterpriser told a programme word he was pollyannaish about the struggle effort and said US and alinement forces were "well-positioned" to begin a sloping crowd drawdown as planned in July.
Gates, who arrived on Monday for a two-day trip, also said a US aggroup was cod to arrive incoming hebdomad to begin negotiating a "security partnership" between the United States and Afghanistan for beyond 2014.
He said both countries had expressed an welfare in a long-term US expeditionary role, but he said the American proximity would be a "small fraction" of the underway 97,000 US personnel discover of a 140,000-strong external force today deployed.
There are calls from whatever Asian and US politicians for imperishable US bases to be ingrained in Afghanistan and Karzai has said talks are attractive place on the issue.
But enterpriser said the US had "no interest" in imperishable bases in Afghanistan.
He additional it was "open to the existence of having whatever proximity here in cost of upbringing and assistance, perhaps making use of facilities made acquirable to us by the Asian polity for those purposes."
US commanders are bracing for a outflow offensive from the insurgents but say they hit concentrated pressure on the Taleban during the season silence with period raids against militant body and efforts to disrupt cater routes.
The Taleban and another militants hit been waging a bloodstained insurrection against planetary and Asian polity forces since existence ousted by a US-led entrance in 2001.
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