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 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pentagon Chief Robert Gates, in his push for a coordinated assault against the Taliban in Afghanistan this spring, is enlisting Pakistan's help and vowing better military coordination along the troubled border between the two countries.
After four days of entreaties to NATO allies, seeking more military and economic development resources for the Afghanistan war, Gates tacked 30 hours of travel onto his trip to meet in Islamabad with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
The lengthy detour underscored how critical this time is in the Afghan conflict, which has dragged on for five years, and has seen escalating violence and a persistent problem with Taliban militants crossing over the porous border from Pakistan.
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