In Afghanistan, Laura Bush focuses on strides by women

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Under heavy protection in this dusty, dangerous capital, Laura Bush yesterday talked with Afghan women freed from Taliban repression and urged greater rights. She expressed high hopes, envisioning a day when tourists would flock here for vacations.

There were reminders of war at every turn of Bush's visit. US soldiers in camouflage fatigues manned M-60 rifles at both ends of four transport helicopters that flew Bush and her entourage to events around Kabul. Apache attack helicopters provided further protection.

Bush kept her stay brief. She spent just six hours on the ground after flying nearly halfway around the world to get here. The trip was kept secret until the morning she left Washington.

Bush met with women who are training to be teachers and gave presents to Afghan children on the street. She thanked US troops for bringing down rulers who kept girls from school.

US commanders have said they may cut their 17,000-strong force this year if a Taliban insurgency wanes. But they say the Afghan government remains vulnerable and some kind of US presence will be needed for years.

''He really wants our troops to stay here," Bush said after she talked with President Hamid Karzai. ''He thinks it's very important for their stability."

The rest of her visit focused on the future of Afghan women. Bush talked of the women who ignored threats of violence last October to vote in the presidential election and of how millions of girls, banned from school by the Taliban, are enrolled for the first time.

Just four years ago, Taliban rulers were forcing them to veil themselves from head to toe in burqas. Some of those once-hidden faces were bathed in the limelight of Bush's visit, although women who met with her at Kabul University wore head scarves.

''Democracy is more than just elections," Bush said at the Women's Teacher Training Institute, which is run by the Newton-based Education Development Center. ''The survival of a free society ultimately depends on the participation of all its citizens, both men and women."