Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Afghanistan 's President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday that the United States `` will never turn our back '' on Afghanistan . Gates , who is on an unannounced visit in the war zone , held a joint news conference with Karzai . `` President Obama is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops , the first of which are scheduled to arrive within days , '' Gates said . `` Afghanistan 's international partners have pledged at least 7,000 additional troops ; when all is said and done , some 43 nations will make up a force . '' Gates also was scheduled to meet with Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak , as well as American military officials . Karzai has asked for patience as his nation struggles to take control of its own security . `` A number of years Afghanistan will not be able to sustain our force with our own resources , `` Karzai told reporters . `` We hope the international community and the U.S. will help Afghanistan reach the ability to sustain our force with numbers and equipment . '' Obama has said that U.S. forces will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011 -- at which point international troops would begin to turn over security responsibility to Afghan forces . Gates spoke about the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan on Tuesday . `` Our relationship with Afghanistan is a long-term commitment , '' Gates said . `` As security improves our relationship grows ... especially with economic and political development . As President Obama said , we will never turn our back on the region . '' Karzai also offered his own timeline goal , saying Afghanistan wants to be able to assume security control in some parts of the country in two years , and to lead security for the entire country by the end of his five-year term , which just started after his recent re-election . `` We as Afghans will try our very best to reach that goal , and we hope our allies will back us to reach that goal , '' Karzai said . Building and developing Afghan security forces will be a continuing challenge , Gates said , and is an effort that has involved some trial and error . `` One of the eye-openers for us was learning that the Taliban for the most part are better paid than the Afghan security forces , so that 's something that we and the Afghans have already taken steps to correct , '' Gates told reporters on the way to Afghanistan . `` I think , frankly , that 's the biggest obstacle . '' The Afghan president is under intense pressure to clean up government corruption , a task he said is under way . `` I have fired people and I will be firing people , '' Karzai said . Some of those changes will become known when Karzai announces his new Cabinet . The Afghan president said at the news conference with Gates that he would try to get a list to parliament by the middle of next week . Karzai was originally expected to submit the list on Tuesday .
NEW : U.S. relationship with Afghanistan `` a long-term commitment , '' Robert Gates says . NEW : U.S. defense secretary meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul . Karzai sets his own timeline goal for security handover in Afghanistan . Gates acknowledges Taliban `` for most part '' better paid than Afghan security forces .