U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Afghanistan, one day after visiting Pakistan where leaders said they are moving 10,000 more troops to the frontier to crack down on the Taliban. The deployment comes as part of a U.S.-led crackdown on militants there, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said Tuesday. About 650 Pakistani troops had been "martyred" in clashes with militants, including seven killed in a suicide attack Monday, Kasuri said. Pakistan now has about 80,000 troops in the mountainous region. They frequently have engaged in battles with Taliban and al Qaeda remnants, Kasuri said. In Kabul, Condoleezza Rice is expected to make a strong and public showing of support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday. "I think, the president thinks, the American administration believes this is an extraordinary leader. Afghanistan is fortunate to have President Karzai at its helm," Reuters quoted Rice as telling reporters as she flew to the region. Rice is keen to persuade Pakistan and Afghanistan to work more closely together to combat the militants. Rice, who stopped in Pakistan en route to a Group of Eight foreign ministers conference in Moscow, Russia, said the United States was working with both Afghanistan and Pakistan "to unify our efforts" against al Qaeda and the Taliban. "This is a very difficult time for both Afghanistan and Pakistan," she said. "There are attacks by these terrorists against both of these countries, and I think they are united in wanting to beat them."
