Defence Secretary Gates gets firsthand look at operations in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - As the last of 30,000 U.S. reinforcements arrive in Afghanistan, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates got a firsthand look Friday at operations in the dangerous south where Afghan and international troops are ramping up security.

Gates travelled to Kandahar province, a region where the Taliban are fighting back and waging an intimidation campaign to keep local Afghans from siding with international forces and the Afghan government.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said that Gates wanted to get a close-up look at Kandahar and efforts by U.S. and NATO troops to rout insurgents from their strongholds and bolster governance.

Gates said Thursday at a news conference in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that coalition forces as well as Afghan army and police are experiencing heavier casualties, as expected, as they "go into areas the Taliban has dominated for years."

"Having said that, our enemies are paying a very steep price and feeling more pressure than ever," Gates said. "That will only intensify, as Afghan and coalition military operations expand, bringing security to people and communities the Taliban has terrorized."

Gates met with Karzai and Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.