Panetta in Afghanistan for talks amid rising violence

KABUL?? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday for talks with military leaders amid rising violence in the war against the Taliban and a spate of deadly incidents, including a NATO air strike said to have killed 18 villagers.

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Panetta said the purpose of the trip was to hear an assessment from U.S. General John Allen, the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan, about the "ability to confront these threats from the Taliban and from the Haqqanis", a reference to the hardline, al-Qaida linked Haqqani network.

Panetta also planned to visit troops and hold talks with the Afghan defense minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Panetta said he wanted to find out about a recent increase in the numbers of attacks in Afghanistan, including some that appear to have been more organized than others seen recently.

"I think it's important to try to make sure we are aware of the kind of attacks they are going to engage in, particularly as we go through the rest of the summer and enter the latter part of this year," Panetta said.

The Afghanistan visit came at the end of Panetta's week-long trip to Asia to explain a new U.S. military strategy, announced in January, that calls for a shift in strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region.

US urges bigger role for India in Afghanistan

During a stop in New Delhi, Panetta encouraged Indian leaders to become more involved in helping Afghanistan build its economy and train its security forces as the international coalition begins to draw down forces over the next two years.

He also urged India to continue working to build a better relationship with Pakistan, a long-time rival for influence in Afghanistan.

"Just as India views the relationship with Pakistan as complicated, so do we. And it is, it's a complicated relationship, often-times frustrating, often-times difficult, but at the same time it is a necessary relationship," he said.

Panetta said the United States was "fighting a war" against al-Qaida in Pakistan's lawless northwestern territories, and he suggested that drone strikes targeting al-Qaida leaders in the region would continue despite Pakistan's concerns that they violate its sovereignty.

White House confirms death of al-Qaida no. 2 in Pakistan

"We have made clear to the Pakistanis that the United States of America is going to defend ourselves against those who would attacks us," he said. "And we have done just that. We have gone after their leadership and we have done it effectively."

"We have made very clear that we are going to continue to defend ourselves," Panetta said.

On Wednesday, Afghan officials and villagers said 18 people, including women and children, had been killed in a NATO air strike in Afghanistan's southeast. NATO officials said they were looking into the reports of civilian casualties.

Also on Wednesday, two suicide bombers killed 20 civilians outside a major NATO base in the south, the bloodiest attack in weeks since the Taliban launched a spring offensive.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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