KABUL (AFP) - Top U.S. diplomat Richard Armitage arrived in Afghanistan Sunday for talks with Afghan leaders on security and aid for reconstruction efforts crippled by surging violence blamed on the ousted Taliban, officials said.

"He's here to reinforce our commitment to a secure Afghanistan," U.S. embassy spokesman Roy Glover said.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Armitage's brief visit, accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca, was to emphasize Washington's commitment to Afghanistan and to accelerate efforts to assist the war-ravaged country, he said.

Armitage arrived from Pakistan and headed straight to the main southern city of Kandahar where he was due to meet with the provincial governor Yusuf Pashtun before returning to Kabul for meetings with President Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and the peacekeeping International Security Assistance Force, Glover said.

Kandahar was the former stronghold of the ousted Taliban who have stepped up a bloody campaign of attacks on U.S. and Afghan troops and aid workers. Around 300 people, most of them suspected militants, have been killed in the past two months in attacks and fighting in the violence-wracked south and east of the country.

Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Omar Samad said the Afghan side would be raising the issues of security and the continuing threat posed by Taliban remnants.

"We'll be addressing issues concerning national security pertaining to the continuing threat that emanates from the Taliban and their associates," Samad told AFP.

"We will be obviously expressing our pleasure with Pakistan's latest attempts to make sure the borders are secure and their attempts to destroy terrorist camps," he said. "We've seen signs recently that Pakistan is doing more to apprehend and disrupt the terrorist activities on its soil in the tribal areas and we hope it will continue."

Pakistan last week launched a major operation against suspected al-Qaeda fighters in the South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, where Afghan officials claim militants are regrouping to carry out cross-border attacks.

Samad said they would also talk about how the U.S.-led military coalition hunting Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan could assist further.

"We'll talk about what needs to be done and what the coalition can do to help us in that respect," he said, adding that the U.S.-Afghan-Pakistan tripartite commission would be meeting in a few days to discuss security issues.

Samad said Afghan officials would also be discussing U.S. assistance to Afghanistan and the ongoing political process, with the new constitution due to be approved by a traditional Loya Jirga assembly in December, paving the way for elections due in June 2004.

"The emphasis will also be on global attention on Afghanistan which is still very much needed to boost reconstruction efforts," he said.

Armitage was due to head back to Islamabad Sunday evening for talks with Pakistani officials, Glover said.

Armitage last visited Afghanistan in May to reassure Afghan leaders that Washington was committed to the war-torn nation even as attention was focused on Iraq.

The United States has announced a 1.2 billion dollar aid package for Afghanistan and Treasury Secretary John Snow said on a visit to Kabul last month that Washington was looking to the international community to match or exceed its contribution.