US Secretary of Defense Gates is trying to defuse tensions over comments that NATO forces are not prepared for counterinsurgency operations. The US ambassador met the former Taliban commander who is now the governor in Musa Qala. Afghan forces will lead more operations in eastern Afghanistan this year. Police built new checkpoints in Badghis province. A former US congressman has been charged with lobbying for the Islamic American Relief Agency, which funneled funds to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
