Surge shows U.S. commitment, Gates says

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The deployment of 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan emphasizes the U.S commitment to the country, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday in Kabul.

The additional troops provide a means to the ultimate goal of Afghan forces providing security for Afghans, Gates said during a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"We know you prefer to have Afghans protecting Afghans," he said, adding that the United States would provide "whatever it takes" in training, funding support and partnering opportunities to help Afghan security forces become self-sustaining.

"We would rather have Afghan forces out in front," he said. "The sooner this happens, the better -- for all of us."

Gates' unannounced visit to Afghanistan comes a week after President Barack Obama announced his Afghan strategy, which included the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops, bringing the total U.S. military presence to about 98,000.

The Pentagon announced Monday 16,000 troops, including 8,500 Marines, would be dispatched in the first phase, beginning later in December.

Gates repeated Obama's intention to begin drawing down U.S. forces in July 2011, based on conditions on the ground, while acknowledging "a realism on our part that it will be some time before Afghanistan can sustain its security entirely on its own."

Karzai said he expects it would be five years before the Afghan security forces become self-sufficient and able to assume security responsibility for the entire country. Also, Afghanistan could require longer-term support from the international community for 15 to 20 years until the country's economy matures, he said.