Bolstering the re-emerging government of President Hamid Karzai is the immediate priority for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, their new operational commander said Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya took command of the 18,000-strong U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan Tuesday as American troops based in Europe rotate into the country ahead of parliamentary elections expected in September. "We will continue to focus our energy, number one, on supporting the government of Afghanistan's vision," Kamiya told reporters at Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul. "We have the election coming up ... and that will be one of our major focuses."" --SP 1417 Local Time 1117 GMT
