The new commander of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan arrived in Kabul Tuesday to assess efforts against insurgents, the US military said.
General David Petraeus flew into Kabul from neighbouring Pakistan as part of a tour following his appointment on Friday.
He would be meeting various leaders in Afghanistan, US Forces Afghanistan spokesman Colonel Greg Julian told AFP, refusing to give details.
“It is traditional for a new commander to go out and meet with subordinate commanders and meet with the leaders of the various countries in the area of his responsibility and get his own assessment of the situation,” he said.
Petraeus would be in Afghanistan for several days, Julian said.
Many hope Petraeus will bring his counter-insurgency expertise to bear in Afghanistan, which has seen a spike in violence from a resurgent Taliban in the last two years, despite the presence of 70,000 NATO and US troops.
The Taliban government was removed in a US-led invasion for not surrendering Al-Qaeda leaders after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Afghanistan and its international partners have been calling for the US-led “war on terror” to put more focus on tribal areas of Pakistan where Al-Qaeda, Taliban and other militants have bases.
