WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will hold talks with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai in Washington on Sept. 26, the White House said on Friday, after Bush announced more troops for the Afghan war.

The meeting comes amid controversy over stepped-up U.S. strikes against al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan's remote border region with Afghanistan, something Pakistan's new government says it opposes.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Bush secretly approved orders in July allowing U.S. special forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without approval from Pakistani authorities.

Karzai, facing an increased militant threat especially from safe havens in Pakistan, backs the idea.

Reflecting U.S. concerns about escalating violence in Afghanistan, Bush approved a plan last week to modestly reduce troops in Iraq and send a few thousand more to Afghanistan. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has said Bush is still shortchanging Afghanistan the troops that are needed.

The United States now has 33,000 troops in Afghanistan.

"The president looks forward to discussing with President Karzai the state of the international community's efforts to improve security, governance, and reconstruction in Afghanistan," the White House said in a statement.

It said they would also talk about expansion of the Afghan army and implementation of political and economic reforms. The two leaders last met in Egypt in May. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Kristin Roberts and Jackie Frank)

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