New NATO chief makes maiden visit to Afghanistan

Kabul: The new head of NATO was in Kabul
today to assess alliance efforts in the fight against
insurgents, making a surprise visit to Afghanistan on his
third day in office, a NATO official said.

"He is here," a press officer for NATO`s International
Security Assistance Force told AFP in reference to former
Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who took charge
of the 28-nation alliance on Monday.

"He is touring the facilities and he is meeeting with top
officials," said the spokesman, Lieutenant Robert Carr.

Rasmussen took office in Brussels, pledging to prevent
Afghanistan from once more becoming the hub of international
terrorism as he laid out his priorities at a time when NATO is
embroiled in its biggest ever mission.

Bureau Report