Kabul, Afghanistan, August 08, SPA -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday, a week after President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 additional troops to the central Asian nation. Gates said he would be meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, as well as other American military officials on the unannounced visit. Karzai has asked for patience as his nation struggles to take control of its own security. "We will try our best as the Afghan people to do it the soonest possible," Karzai said in a CNN interview on Sunday. "But the international community must have also the patience with us and the realization of the realities in Afghanistan. If it takes longer, then they must be with us." --SPA 10:46 LOCAL TIME 07:46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/725852