Karzai see US cost of war at Arlington Cemetery; McChrystal says Kandahar key to victory

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McChrystal: Kandahar push results will take months

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan says it will probably take until the end of the year before the Kandahar operation can be judged a success or failure.

Control of the southern city of Kandahar is considered key to winning the war. A Taliban stronghold since before the 2001 terrorist attacks, the city has remained in the hands of insurgents throughout the eight-year war.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal described the operation as a “slow, rising tide” of security aimed at giving the Afghan government an opportunity to take control.

McChrystal said he will know the operation succeeded when the local population in Kandahar swing behind the local government.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai walked Thursday among the graves of U.S. troops who gave their lives in the war in his country.

Karzai moved slowly among the tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60 — often called “the saddest acre in America,” a resting place for military killed in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq, Vietnam, World War II and other conflicts.

He picked up, examined and then laid back down one of the pebbles that have been placed at many of the graves by loved ones and visitors to Section 60. In a visit of roughly 20 minutes, Karzai lingered particularly at a few sites, including graves of two killed in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.

The visiting Afghan leader earlier this week came face-to-face with another painful American sacrifice made in the war in his country. He stopped at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and later spoke emotionally about the wounded troops he saw, some who’ve had multiple limbs amputated in a war where homemade explosives are the single most deadly insurgent weapon.

Karzai was wrapping up a four-day visit to Washington later Thursday with a televised give-and-take with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Obama administration has done its best to repair strained relations with the Afghan leader, its partner in the war against militants in Afghanistan.

Earlier Thursday, Karzai had breakfast with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other U.S. officials. After a Capitol Hill lunch hosted by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., Karzai was to appear with Clinton at the U.S. Institute of Peace for what was billed as a “moderated discussion.” They were expected to talk about the ups and downs of the relationship and the way ahead.

Karzai leaves Washington on Friday. Before heading back to Kabul he is expected to visit Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 101st Airborne Division, which is going to Afghanistan over the next several weeks, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

Thursday’s events cap a series of meetings aimed at ending months of sniping and frustration over management of the war and fraud surrounding Karzai’s re-election last year. Both Obama and Karzai said at the White House on Wednesday that such disagreements are normal with so much at stake.

“There are moments when we speak frankly to each other, and that frankness will only contribute to the strength of the relationship,” Karzai said at a joint news conference with Obama.

Despite noting gains that have been made since he ordered thousands of additional U.S. troops into Afghanistan, Obama said the war will get worse before it gets better. He stressed, though, that his plan to begin withdrawing U.S. forces next summer remains on track.

“What I’ve tried to emphasize is the fact that there is going to be some hard fighting over the next several months,” Obama said.

He spoke as the U.S.-led force in Afghanistan readies to push hard into the Taliban’s birthplace in Kandahar Province in June. The campaign for Kandahar, already under way in districts outside the city, is expected to be among the bloodiest of the nearly nine-year-old war.

In his meetings with U.S. officials, including Clinton and Gates, Karzai repeatedly has called for the U.S. to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and has expressed frustration with operations that have killed innocent bystanders.

Karzai also has sought reassurance from Washington that his country will not be abandoned after U.S. forces withdraw. Obama, Clinton and others have obliged, saying America will not cut and run.

Associated Press writers Anne Gearan, Jennifer Loven, Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.