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March 15, 2012

Panetta Touts "Progress" During Afghanistan Visit 
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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta continues a visit to Afghanistan in a bid
to contain the fallout over the massacre. On Wednesday, Panetta received
a security scare after an Afghan man drove a stolen pickup truck onto
the tarmac where Panetta's plane was about to land, then emerged from
the vehicle in flames. The man later died from the burns. A U.S.
commander said he believed the incident was unrelated to Panetta’s
visit and that the man may have been trying to run the truck into a
group of U.S. Marines. At a U.S. base in Helmand province, Panetta tried
to highlight security gains under the U.S. occupation.

Leon Panetta: "This area was a Taliban stronghold once upon a time, and
now a great deal of progress has been made in terms of Afghan security
and Afghan governance in this area."



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