US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, is currently on a visit to Afghanistan. The US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, gave an upbeat assessment saying they have arrested the momentum of Taliban in many parts of Afghanistan and that there had been significant progress in the recent months. He also updated him on the progress at the eastern border with Pakistan on American casualties and increase in violence. Lt. Col. J. B. Vowell told Mr. Gates in a briefing at the base that violence in June had increased by 200 percent over the last year and that insurgents were fighting hard to try to gain negotiating strength in anticipated reconciliation talks. US officials say the troops increase is beginning to show signs of turning around the 9-year-old war but also concede that stability in Afghanistan, and large-scale withdrawals of foreign forces, may not be possible before 2014. US President Barack Obama has announced that US forces will start leaving from July next year while the NATO summit held last month decided to handover complete security responsibility of Afghanistan to national forces by 2014. US administration is conducting a review of its war strategy which will be announced later this month. Mr. Gates is scheduled to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai today and discuss the current security situation.