Gates observes progress in tour of Afghan war zone

Combat Outpost Senjeray, Afghanistan: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Friday said he saw and heard evidence that the US counter-insurgency strategy is taking hold in Afghanistan's critical Kandahar province.

Gates toured US bases and met with troops in the thick of the fighting in Kandahar city and the Taliban haven of Zhari district, west of the city.

Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, is Afghanistan's second-largest city and a linchpin of the re-tailored battle plan President Barack Obama announced last year. Even as the US nears the full complement of the troop surge ordered last year by Obama, the region remains a battleground, still far from under full control of the US-backed central government in Kabul.

Kandahar is key

Military commanders know the nearly nine-year war cannot be won without a turnaround in Kandahar, yet goals and plans for the fight there have been vague. The Taliban are waging a fear and intimidation campaign to keep local Afghans from siding with international forces and the Afghan government.

Gates wanted a firsthand look at operations in the dangerous south where Afghan and international troops are ramping up security. The Obama administration plans a top-to-bottom assessment of the war in December. The review will question whether Obama's strategy is working.

"I come away from my visits down here today encouraged," Gates told reporters travelling with him. He said that signs of progress were incremental but growing.

Still, he added, "Everybody knows this is far from a done deal."

The bulked-up force is aimed at blunting Taliban momentum on their home ground and setting the stage for a gradual US exit from the war beginning next summer.