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
