NATO Secretary-General Meets With Pakistan President Over Regional Security(1/2)

With violence flaring across Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer insisted the alliance has no plans to pull its soldiers out of the country.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, known as ISAF, currently has more than 35,000 troops in Afghanistan. The mission is NATO's largest ground operation in its 57-year history, and its forces have launched a major offensive in the Taleban's traditionalstronghold" class="hjdict" word="stronghold" target=_blank>stronghold in southern Afghanistan, aimed at heading off insurgent violence.

Still Afghan militants have mountedpersistent attacks in recent weeks. Suspected insurgents ambushed a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan overnight" class="hjdict" word="overnight" target=_blank>overnight Monday. Hours earlier, a rocket attack on the capital killed one man and injured at least five others. The Afghan Interior Ministry says more than 100 local police officers have been killed around the country since February.

Scheffer spoke to reporters here in Islamabad by Tuesday after discussing regional security concerns with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Like other Western officials, he praised Pakistan's record on combating extremism, but also called on Pakistani leaders to do more to help defeat the Taleban.