KABUL – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan pledged Monday to retake the symbolic Taliban home ground of Kandahar in a campaign that builds on early signs of progress from the huge infusion of American and foreign forces.

"We're absolutely going to secure Kandahar," Gen. Stanley McChrystal told reporters traveling with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived Monday to talk with his commanders and Afghan officials.
US general pledges to secure symbolic Kandahar - Yahoo! News