Gates meets with troops fighting Taliban in southern Afghanistan

Gates meets with troops in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is getting a closer view of the Afghanistan war Tuesday, with a visit to troops fighting the Taliban in the country’s rugged south.

Gates flew to Kandahar early Tuesday for meetings with U.S. and British generals overseeing the current military campaign in Marjah.

Gates presented Silver Stars for valor to two Army aviators before scheduled visits with U.S. forces at small forward operating bases elsewhere in the south.