Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 7, 2011

AFGHAN VISIT - U.S. Army Gen. David Petreaus greets Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates upon his arrival in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 7, 2011. Gates is in Afghanistan to visit troops, meet with President Hamid Karzai and talk with NATO military leaders about progress made toward transitioning security responsibility to Afghan forces, set to start in July. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen

Gates Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit -- Wall Street Journal

KABUL, Afghanistan—U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates arrived Monday on a surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet with U.S. troops and Afghan leaders, as the Obama administration looks for signs that its strategy there is starting to pay security dividends.

In a meeting with troops at Bagram airfield, a large U.S. base north of Kabul, Mr. Gates said that U.S. forces needed to be prepared for difficult days ahead as Afghanistan's traditional fighting season resumes in the spring.

"You've had a tough winter, it's going to be a tougher spring and summer, but you've made a lot of headway," he said.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Gates in Afghanistan to evaluate war progress -- Yahoo News/AP
US defence chief on surprise trip to Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AFP
Gates: US should stay involved in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
Gates in Afghanistan to weigh pullout plan -- UPI
Casualties take focus on Gates's Afghan trip -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Gates in Afghanistan to meet Karzai, troops -- L.A. Times
Gates in Afghanistan to Assess Troop Withdrawals -- New York Times
Gates says there may be some U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 -- USA Today
Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Afghansitan to defuse tensions over killing of Afghan civilians -- New York Daily News
US Defense Secretary Arrives in Kabul Amid Strained Relations -- Voice of America
U.S. Defense Chief Gates Meets Afghans Amid Protests Over Civilian Deaths -- Bloomberg
Casualties take focus on Gates's Afghan trip -- Baltimore Sun
Gates chokes up talking to troops in Afghanistan -- CNN

Afghan president rejects US apology over killings -- Yahoo News/AP
Karzai Refuses U.S. Apology For Children's Deaths -- Care2
Karzai Tells Petreaus to Stuff his Apology -- FOX News
Karzai rejects U.S. apology for deaths of 9 Afghan boys -- Macon/McClatchy News
Karzai rejects air strike apology -- Press Association
Afghanistan: Karzai rebukes US over civilian deaths -- BBC
Karzai to Petraeus: Apologies are not enough -- CNN

Diggers warned to expect Taliban counter-strike -- The Australian
Forces kill Haqqani terrorist in Afghanistan -- Army.mil
Official says bomb in eastern Afghanistan kills 2 police, wounds 25 -- Canadian Press
37 insurgents join Afghan peace process: NATO -- Xinhuanet
Five children among victims of roadside bombing in Afghanistan -- L.A. times

Iranian Interior Minister to Visit Afghanistan for Security Cooperation -- FARS News Agency
Afghan prison an insurgent breeding ground -- Washington Post
U.S. rebuilds Afghan village it destroyed -- L.A. Times
Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan suffer high rate of brain trauma -- Globe And Mail
Military spends $215m to give $37m in aid to Afghanistan -- The Australian
‘I made my peace with God,' soldier says of chopper being hit in Afghanistan -- Niagara Falls Review