(5 Nov 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of US General David Petraeus getting out of jeep and being received by Afghanistan Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak
2. Cutaway of US troops
3. Mid of Petraeus inspecting guard of honour
4. Mid of guard of honour
5. Petraeus entering defence ministry building
6. Cutaway of two Afghan soldiers
7. Petraeus walking up steps
8. Wide of defence ministry building
STORYLINE:
The US general charged with overseeing the war on militants in Afghanistan and Iraq is making an assessment visit to Kabul, a military spokesman said.
The trip was General David Petraeus' first to Afghanistan since he took charge of the US Central Command on October 31, said Colonel Greg Julian, chief US military spokesman in the country.
His visit comes at a tense time for US-Afghan relations following reports from locals villagers in the southern province of Kandahar that US warplanes bombed a wedding party on Monday afternoon, killing 37 people, including 23 children and 10 women.
The US military said it was investigating.
Earlier on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded that US President-elect Barack Obama put an end to civilian casualties in the wake of the bombing.
Petraeus' visit also comes at a time when many indicators suggest Afghanistan is in a downward spiral of violence.
This year has been the deadliest for US troops in the country since the 2001 US-led invasion. Attacks against Westerners have risen sharply in Kabul, the Afghan capital, over the last month.
More than 5,200 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related violence this year alone.
Petraeus' stop in Afghanistan follows a two-day visit to neighbouring Pakistan, a key US ally in its "war on terror".
Pakistan is also battling an insurgency in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Al-Qaida members are also known to operate in the same region.
Petraeus has been credited with turning the tide of violence in Iraq, and many expect to see some of the tactics he employed there in the Afghan campaign, such as co-opting local tribal leaders to resist the Taliban.
During his stay in Afghanistan, Petraeus will meet with Afghan leaders and top US military officials, including US General David McKiernan, head of the NATO-led force.
Petraeus is in the country to conduct an "initial assessment" of the situation, Julian said.
Though the US now has more troops in Afghanistan than ever - some 32,000 - McKiernan has requested at least three more brigades to help cover violent areas it now can't reach.
McKiernan says the troops can help create the conditions for governance to take hold in areas of the country where the Afghan government now has little presence.
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