December 04, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 23, 1428

KABUL, Dec 3: US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan on Monday for a surprise visit to evaluate international efforts against rising violence led by Taliban militants allied with Al Qaeda.

The “clear concern is that for two or three years there has been an increase of overall level of violence (in Afghanistan),” Gates told reporters during a short stopover in Djibouti en route to Kabul.

The defence secretary said he wanted an update on the security situation here, especially in the south where the Taliban are most active, and to assess if there was any spillover from extremist activity in Pakistan.

“I want to see if there are any consequences visible in Afghanistan from the trouble in Pakistan,” he said.

Gates, who was last in Afghanistan in June, was due to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday as well as with the commanders of the US-led coalition and separate Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

His visit will inform a meeting in Scotland later this month with some of the ISAF nations that have troops in the south where Taliban militants are most active.

“There are early indicators that there may be some stepped up activity by Al Qaeda (in Afghanistan),” a top US defence official said.

Military officials have reported more foreign “jihadists” on the battlefield in Afghanistan while weapons entering the country from Iran and intended for the insurgents have been intercepted.

“We have pretty good evidence some of the new recruits come from Pakistan, other neighbouring countries and Afghanistan itself,” an official said.

Also, “We are troubled by activities of Iran supporting the insurgents in Afghanistan.”

There was “good evidence” of support — mainly in the form of finances and weapons — coming from Iran, he said.

The official said that “the motive could be producing additional challenges to the international forces.”—AFP