U.S. says can't link Tehran to Afghan arms flow

"I am confident that the United States and our partners in the alliance will be here for as long as it takes," he said.

IRANIAN FRIENDSHIP

Karzai said Afghanistan's relationship with Iran had never been better, despite growing U.S.-Iranian tensions.

"We don't have any such evidence so far of the involvement of the Iranian government in supplying the Taliban," Karzai said.

In contrast, Afghan National Army chief Bismillah Khan said earlier in the day that Afghanistan was not getting enough cooperation from neighboring Pakistan.

"We have a relationship, of course, under the coordination of the United States," Khan said as he and Gates toured the commando training centre on the outskirts of Kabul. "The cooperation that we need, unfortunately, we don't get."

Khan said the two countries needed a better exchange of information and more joint training exercises.

Relations between the uneasy neighbors, both U.S. allies in its war on terrorism, have deteriorated in recent months. The worst violence in years erupted three weeks ago in a disputed border area in Afghanistan's southern Paktia province.

Afghanistan said Pakistan invaded its soil and killed 13 Afghans. Pakistan said Afghan troops started unprovoked firing on border posts.

(Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin)