KABUL, Feb 12: US special envoy Richard Holbrooke arrived in Kabul on Thursday, on the second leg of a maiden tour aimed at turning around the war against militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mr Holbrooke flew in from Pakistan to tight security in the Afghan capital, one day after Taliban attacks on government offices killed 26 people and left eight attackers dead --- three of them in suicide blasts.

US embassy spokesman Mark Stroh confirmed Mr Holbrooke’s arrival.

The envoy was expected to visit a range of international and Afghan authorities, but details of his itinerary were not released.

His tour of the region, which will also include India, is part of a major focus on the region by the new administration of US President Barack Obama.

Some analysts suggested that Wednesday’s coordinated attacks in Kabul might have been an attempt by the Taliban to overshadow Mr Holbrooke’s trip and signal their strength despite military and political pressure on their bases.

The White House warned that the “brutal” spate of attacks on the justice and education ministries and the prisons department would only renew US resolve, seven years after the 2001 invasion.

“It hardens our resolve, but it also hardens our resolve to get the next steps in Afghanistan right,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

The assaults came with Mr Obama, in the first big military move of his presidency, due to decide in the next few days on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. He has vowed to make the country the main front in the struggle against terrorism.

Top military officials have suggested that 15,000 to 30,000 extra US soldiers could head to the south of Afghanistan, where Taliban violence is worst and several districts have fallen out of government control.

Extra troops are also seen as vital for securing presidential elections --- only the second in Afghanistan’s history --- due on August 20 after being postponed for three months largely because of security problems.—AFP