Gates Heads to Kabul for Talks

The Washington Post reports:

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates landed in Kabul on Saturday afternoon for a series of high-level meetings with U.S. and Afghan officials at a potential turning point in the nearly decade-long war.

The arrival of Gates, at the tail end of his tenure as defense secretary, comes amid growing Afghan opposition to NATO’s military strategy in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai this week called for an end to all coalition airstrikes on Afghan homes and reiterated his opposition to night-time raids and civilian casualties. The demands have put the United States in the difficult position of attempting to appease Karzai while at the same time defending their aggressive fight against the Taliban.

Gates will also consult with Gen. David Petraeus and other military commanders as they are developing recommendations for how many troops to withdraw from Afghanistan starting next month. There are currently about 100,000 U.S. troops in the country and President Obama has pledged to start bringing some home by July. ...