Gates spoke Tuesday in the capital, Kabul, after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The defense chief said the United States is committed to its partnership with Afghanistan.
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This is Gates's first visit to Afghanistan as defense secretary and it comes as U.S. and NATO troops have experienced the deadliest fighting since the Taleban was ousted in 2001.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, said Tuesday more troops are needed to counter an expected Taleban spring offensive. Eikenberry said there are about 23,000 U.S. troops in the country. more than ever before, and that their numbers likely will not be reduced this year.
The U.S. military says there were some 1,600 bomb attacks last year, up from 783 in 2005. The number of suicide attacks rose from 27 in 2005 to 139 in 2006.
On Monday, Gates said the insurgency in Afghanistan can be contained only if a military response is combined with support for Afghanistan's social and economic development.