KABUL (Reuters) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai and NATO military leaders, the United Nations said.
Ban's unannounced visit comes a day after the United Nations said more than 2,100 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in 2008, 40 percent more than in 2007, and appealed for $604 million for the country in 2009.
Some 55,000 soldiers from 41 countries are in Afghanistan battling Taliban insurgents in a UN-mandated mission.
Ban's unannounced visit comes a day after the United Nations said more than 2,100 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in 2008, 40 percent more than in 2007, and appealed for $604 million for the country in 2009.
Some 55,000 soldiers from 41 countries are in Afghanistan battling Taliban insurgents in a UN-mandated mission.