Us defense sec'y gates to visit Turkey

On the heels of historic visits by US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to visit Turkey soon. Gates' talks in Turkey will reportedly focus on Afghanistan and Iraq. The US administration is seeking Turkey's support for its troop withdrawal from Iraq, and Gates is expected to clarify plans for when and through what routes the troops will leave. Later, diplomats and military officers from the two countries will discuss the plans, and Turkey will convey its views to the US side. Gates is also expected to ask for more Turkish troops in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to counter the rising Taliban insurgency. While Turkey is cool towards sending combat troops to Afghanistan, it is expected to take over the helm of the ISAF's Kabul regional command in August and to boost the its troops presence as part of this takeover. Most of the Turkish force in Afghanistan is deployed in the Kabul area, where it provides local security as well as logistical and communications services. There is also a provincial reconstruction team working in the Wardak province. Turkish troops have so far been engaged solely in post-conflict reconstruction and nation-building activities in Afghanistan, such as training the new Afghan army and commanding the ISAF twice since its inception in 2002.