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Gates watches Afghan army training exercises

POLE CHAKI TRAINING BASE, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was watching Afghan army recruits go through training Wednesday.

Gates visited a dust-blown training ground in Kabul province where Afghan soldiers come for weeks of training under U.S. and British instruction. British Brigadier Simon Levy told Gates that if NATO countries contribute more trainers, the project to expand the Afghan army will keep pace.

The goal is to reach 134,000 trained forces this fall. The Pentagon hopes the Afghans will soon ease the load on U.S. forces.

Gates watched as Afghan troops dealt with a simulated roadside bomb explosion. The defense secretary stood on an embankment above the road as Afghan soldiers leapt out of a convoy, tended to casualties and contained the explosive.