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Rice declares Taliban won't prevail in AfghanistanPromises U.S. commitment as Taliban militants step up attacks
SPECIAL REPORT
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSKABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged U.S. commitment to Afghanistan's fight against resurgent Taliban militants on Wednesday, saying they won't prevail. "Afghanistan has determined enemies, and they are ruthless. But they will not succeed in undermining or in rolling back the democratic gains of the Afghan people," said Rice, who met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. "We are here, committed to those democratic gains, and I know that the Afghan people themselves are committed to those democratic gains." Rice and Karzai discussed the war on terror, reconstruction and security issues before she left for Moscow, where she was to meet with Group of Eight foreign ministers. They met a day after Rice visited Pakistan, which has had strained relations with Afghanistan during the war on terror. Afghanistan doesn't think Pakistan is doing enough to control the border region, where Taliban and al Qaeda militants are believed to be operating. Pakistan disputes the criticism and says Afghanistan should inform Pakistani authorities directly, rather than through U.S. intelligence, when they receive reports of Taliban figures in Pakistan. During Rice's visit in Pakistan, Pakistani Foreign Minister Kurshid Kasuri said his country was moving 10,000 more troops to the frontier to crack down on the Taliban and al Qaeda. (Full story) They have remained in Afghanistan, despite the U.S.-led invasion that came in response to the 2001 al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington. Rice praised Afghanistan for its reforms, saying "progress has been extraordinary" in a land that was under Taliban control five years ago. "There is still a lot of hard work to do, but the Afghan people need to know that we appreciate their commitment and their sacrifice and how much they have achieved." Rice's stop in Afghanistan coincided with attacks in northern and southern Afghanistan Wednesday, including a raid in which 12 Taliban militants in Uruzgan province in the south were killed, military officials said. Two Afghan soldiers were wounded slightly in the firefight, which targeted a place Taliban insurgents used "to plan and facilitate attacks against innocent Afghan civilians, soldiers and coalition forces," the military said. Also, a coalition soldier was killed and three others wounded when a military vehicle hit a landmine "likely left behind from 25 years of war," the Combined Forces Command in Kabul said. Their nationalities were not disclosed. Afghan police apparently prevented a car bomb attack Wednesday after receiving intelligence tips about the car the attackers would use. When police tried to stop a car fitting the description, the car sped up and exploded, killing two people inside. It happened near a checkpoint and U.S. military base in southeastern Afghanistan. Afghan National Army or U.S. forces may have been targeted, Ghulab Shah Ali Khail -- spokesman for the Zabul governor Dilbar Arman -- told CNN. In northern Afghanistan, which was relatively peaceful until recently, suspected Taliban fighters attacked German troops Wednesday, wounding three soldiers, a German defense official said. The attack raised talk of a NATO-led crackdown on militants in the region, said the official, on condition of anonymity. CNN's Chris Burns and journalist Tom Coghlan contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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