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Coinciding with Panetta's stopover, Afghan President Hamid Karzai cut short a trip to China to signal anger and frustration over the deaths of 18 civilians inwhat Afghan officials said was an errant US airstrike a dayearlier. Mr. Panetta had already left the country by the timeKarzai returned. Panetta's visit, his fourth as defense secretary, came as the American military presence in Afghanistan is poised to diminish considerably. By the end of the summer,another 23,000 American troops are to head home, reducing the USforces to about 68,000 personnel a schedule that Panetta said heexpected to hold. The drumbeat of criticism of Pakistan echoed statements earlier inPanetta's nine-day Asian tour. How well do you know Afghanistan? Take our quiz Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been marked by rancor over an intensive campaign of US dronestrikes and the continuing deadlock over a deal that would allow NATO supply convoys to transit Pakistani territory. Pakistan stoppedthe flow of supplies after an errant US airstrike in Novemberkilled 24 Pakistani soldiers near the country's border withAfghanistan. Speaking to reporters, Panetta declared that the US would takeaction to protect its troops from attacks by Pakistan-based groupssuch as the Haqqani network, a Taliban offshoot. "Let me be very clear," he said. "Anybody whoattacks US soldiers is our enemy. We're not going to take it." The recent increase in drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas hasbeen partly an effort to inflict losses on militants responsiblefor mounting attacks inside Afghanistan, a senior US official said,and also to heighten pressure on the Islamabad government to denygroups like the Haqqani haven. "We are reaching the limit of our patience, and for thatreason it is extremely important that Pakistan take action,"Panetta told a news conference. However, the US has been calling onPakistan for years to crack down on insurgent sanctuaries, withlittle result. In just three hours on the ground, Panetta met with Gen. John Allen , the U.S. commander of Western forces in Afghanistan; US Ambassador Ryan Crocker , who is shortly leaving his post for health reasons; and thedefense secretary's Afghan counterpart, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak , who appeared with him at a joint news conference. The NATO force has been handing over security responsibility toAfghan forces, a phased process that is to be completed by 2014,when NATO's combat role ends. However, thousands of Western troops- including special operations forces and trainers for the Afghanpolice and army - are expected to remain in place after that. (Special correspondent Aimal Yaqubi contributed to this report.) 2012 Tribune Co. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Convenience Store Shelves , Exhibit Display Stands Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Custom Made Book Shelves today!
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