US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband have travelled to the heart of the Taliban insurgency during a surprise trip to Afghanistan.
The pair flew to the major NATO air base in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban movement, shortly after arriving in the country with calls for NATO nations to boost support for the fight against the extremists.
They were due to meet military commanders who are based at the Kandahar Air Field and address soldiers who are on the frontline of efforts to tackle the al-Qaeda-linked insurgent movement.
Ms Rice said she and her British counterpart had come to Kandahar because the rationale is to get out of Kabul and see an area where NATO forces are doing a good job. It was her first visit to the southern Afghan city.
Mr Miliband said Kandahar was a good choice for a visit outside the capital Kabul because of its iconic status in the history and position of Afghanistan.
The pair reiterated en route to Afghanistan that NATO allies should stump up more troops for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) after a grim 2007.
More than 6,000 people, including nearly 220 international soldiers, were killed last year - the worst since the start of the insurgency soon after the Taliban were driven from government in late 2001.
Commanders in Afghanistan have been calling for around 7,500 extra troops to ISAF, which comprises some 42,000 troops from 39.
'Frankly, I hope that there will be more troop contributions and there need to be more Afghan contributions,' Ms Rice told reporters travelling with her and Mr Miliband.
When asked what would happen if other NATO countries failed to contribute, she said: 'In the final analysis, you will see more troop contributions.'
Mr Miliband said international efforts to stabilise Afghanistan were entering a new phase, which combined military solutions with political and development efforts.
This included conventional fighting and tackling an increasing terrorist threat as well as building on economic gains and promoting reconciliation with those rebels who could be persuaded to side with the government.
Domestic support among some ISAF nations for the mission has plummeted as more troops are killed while the violence has escalated alongside the country's world-topping opium production.
But it would be catastrophic for the world to abandon Afghanistan, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said, adding the government was however confident ISAF was committed and would see through its mission.
'The consequences of not finishing the job here, and we have seen them first-hand in the events of September 11, will be catastrophic for the region and the world,' Homayun Hamidzada said.
