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Gates Makes Third Trip to Afghanistan
You gotta love the rooters' version : "Pentagon chief in Afghanistan as al Qaeda regroups".
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday began his third trip to Afghanistan since becoming the Pentagon chief a year ago, visiting the country at a time when Afghans are becoming increasingly critical of U.S. military efforts in the country. Gates, who arrived Monday evening, was planning to hold talks on Tuesday with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at a time when his government has complained about U.S. and NATO strikes that have killed civilians. His most recent visit to Afghanistan was in June, when he declared that Iranian weapons were falling into the hands of anti- government Taliban fighters. He also was in Afghanistan in January.

Just ahead of Gates' visit, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a police patrol Monday in southwestern Afghanistan, killing four people including two policemen, an official said. Separately, the U.S.-led coalition fighting in Afghanistan said it killed five suspected Taliban in the south.
The negative spin begins, or was it in the preceding paragraph?
Gates' visit coincides with the release of a new poll that found Afghans are increasingly critical of U.S. military efforts, with just over half of Afghans still having confidence in the ability of U.S. and NATO forces to provide security—down from two-thirds a year ago. The survey—conducted for ABC News, the BBC and the German public TV station ARD—noted that Afghans overwhelmingly prefer the government of Karzai to the Taliban, but they also believe that government should negotiate with the Taliban to end the war.
Poll didn't ask what the Kabul government should do if the Talibunnies say no, did it?
In southwestern Afghanistan, support for NATO-led forces has plummeted to 45 percent this year, from 83 percent a year ago, it found. "Civilian casualties blamed on these forces is a prime complaint," the survey said.

This year has been the most violent yet since the U.S.-led invasion in and insurgency-related violence has killed nearly 6,200 people—a record number, according to an AP tally of figures from Afghan and western officials. More than 800 civilians have died in insurgency attacks and military operations.

Pollsters conducted 1,377 face-to-face interviews with Afghans in all of the country's 34 provinces. They found that 42 percent of Afghans rate U.S. efforts in Afghan positively, down from 68 percent in 2005 and 57 percent last year.
Posted by: anonymous5089 2007-12-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=211209