Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today and was expected to meet Italian troops serving with the NATO force in the country.
His Christmas trip comes a day after the leaders of France and Australia also visited and pledged military and financial support for the fight against a growing insurgency led by Taliban militants.
After arriving in Kabul, Prodi was expected to travel to the relatively secure western city of Herat where most of Italy's 2,000 soldiers are stationed.
"I thanked our soldiers, our administrators, all of the Italians present here because their work is truly precious," Prodi told reporters. "It's a contribution to peace, not just for this country but for the whole region."
Italy is among several NATO nations that have been hesitant to send soldiers to the restive southern and eastern areas where the insurgents are most active and clash regularly with foreign troops under NATO and US military command.