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US homeland security chief visits Afghanistan
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Afghanistan for talks with Afghan officials and to spend the New Year's holiday with American troops, her office said.
A statement issued from Washington said Napolitano arrived early Friday in Kabul with US customs and border security officials to help provide civilian assistance to local officials.
While in Afghanistan, she will meet with senior US and Afghan officials on border security issues.
"For several years, the Department of Homeland Security has been contributing personnel to help bolster security in Afghanistan," Napolitano said in the statement.
"Today, I arrived in Kabul with six additional border security and customs officers who will join our ongoing efforts to advise and assist our Afghan counterparts on customs and border control."
She will also spend New Year's Eve with military men and women serving in Afghanistan.
Napolitano is to travel to Qatar on January 2, then to Israel on January 3-5 and Belgium on January 5-6 to meet with her counterparts and discuss international efforts to ensure the security for global aviation and supply chain systems, the statement said. The visit comes after a global scare on parcel bombs affecting cargo aircraft.
