Panetta in Kabul as US ties with Pakistan erode

[December 13, 2011]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan for meet with commanders, as the U.S. grapples with an eroding relationship with Pakistan that has complicated supply routes and helped fuel insurgents in the east.

While he was upbeat about security progress in Afghanistan, Panetta is likely to hear somber news from commanders as they wrestle with the withdrawal of 23,000 more troops, the transition of security to Afghan forces and the near collapse of coordination with Islamabad along critical portions of the border.

His visit here is the second stop on a holiday tour that began in Africa and will also take him to Iraq, Libya and Turkey. He will be the first U.S. defense chief to visit Libya, which is emerging from an eight-month civil war.

[Associated Press; By LOLITA BALDOR]

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