U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Afghanistan for his first visit since being sworn in last month. The secretary's trip comes as Afghan and NATO forces are bracing for an expected rise in insurgent activity later this year. VOA's Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad.
Robert Gates flew into Afghanistan over night and on Tuesday meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and military leaders.
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On Monday, Gates discussed Afghanistan's military and political importance with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Brussels.
"The mission in Afghanistan, the first outside NATO's traditional European borders, is a model of the organization's potential in this new era," he said. "Success in Afghanistan is our top priority."
Gates said they had discussed the potential for another increase in Taleban-led attacks in 2007.
Last year was Afghanistan's deadliest since U.S. led forces ousted the hard-line Islamic group in 2001.
The defense secretary said success in containing the insurgency this year will require a military response but also stressed the need to step up support for Afghanistan's social and economic development.