Kandahar, Afghanistan, Feb 26: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Afghanistan today, as American and Pakistani forces stepped up operations against al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Rumsfeld flew into the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in the south and will travel on to Kabul, winding up a week-long tour of Iraq and central Asia. He is due to meet US military Commander in Afghanistan Lieutenant-General David Barno and Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his half-day visit. The US military appears increasingly confident of finding al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and other senior Islamic militant figures this year.
A US military official spoke yesterday of a ''renewed sense of urgency'' in the hunt for bin Laden.
Also on the agenda for Rumsfeld will be Afghanistan's plans to hold its first democratic elections in June. The registration process is going slowly, and a wave of violence by remnants of the ousted Taliban militia also threaten to delay the vote.
Bureau Report