Afghan War Is Serious but Winnable, Top General Says

Afghan War Is Serious but Winnable, Top General Says
By DEXTER FILKINS
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 31, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/world/asia/01military.html?ref=global-home


KABUL, Afghanistan — The top commander in Afghanistan said Monday that conditions on the ground were “serious” but that the war here is still winnable, part of a long-awaited assessment of the American-led war.

The report, prepared by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of American and NATO forces here, does not call for additional American soldiers and Marines. That request, if it comes, is expected to be made in the coming weeks.

General McChrystal’s assessment, delivered to senior officials, could form the basis on which President Obama could make such a decision. In recent weeks, senior American officers here have said that they do not have enough troops to succeed.

The question of sending more combat troops is potentially divisive. Possibly for this reason, American commanders and officials in Kabul were ordered to neither reveal the details of General McChrystal’s assessment nor talk about them.General McChrystal assumed command here in June with an explicit charge to reverse the course of the war. Though it is still only August, 179 American soldiers have already been killed this year, making it the deadliest yet since the war began nearly eight years ago. Still, the general said that the war can still be won.

“The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort,” General McChrystal said in a statement.

As the overall commander here, General McChrystal oversees about 68,000 American soldiers and marines, and about 40,000 from NATO and other countries.

American commanders say that General McChrystal’s assessment does call for a large expansion of Afghan security forces, and an acceleration of their training. There are currently about 134,000 Afghan police, and about 82,000 Afghan soldiers. Many of these units are inadequately equipped and have little logistical capability to sustain themselves.

Just how many more Afghan police and soldiers General McChrystal wants is unclear. In Iraq, where conditions have stabilized markedly over the past two years, the American-trained Iraqi security forces number about 600,000.

The main thrust of General McChrystal’s strategy has been illuminated by him and other commanders in recent weeks. The overriding goal of American and NATO forces is not so much to kill Taliban insurgents as it is to make ordinary Afghans feel secure, and by so doing, isolate the insurgents. That means using force less and focusing on economic development and good governance.

General McChrystal also intends to try to unify the effort of America’s allies, including Britain, Canada, Germany and France, all of which have troops deployed here. He may also ask those allies to contribute more troops, money and training.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters Monday that while he had not yet seen the report, he expected that it would highlight some bright spots about the Afghan military mission, along with some conclusions that he described as “gloom and doom.” Speaking in Fort Worth, Tex., he also said Afghan forces may have to grow beyond the planned level of 230,000 personnel to make headway, news services reported.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he would not rule out the necessity of more international troops in Afghanistan, but like Mr. Gates, he focused on what he called the need for additional Afghan forces.

“I would not exclude the possibility that we need more combat troops, but first and foremost I would say that we need to increase significantly the number of Afghan soldiers,” Mr. Rasmussen said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Bloomberg reported.

As the deadliest month yet of the war for American forces came to an end, the United States military announced Monday that two American soldiers had died in separate incidents involving improvised explosive devices. The British Ministry of Defense announced separately that two British soldiers had been killed Monday in an explosion in southern Afghanistan.

Sharon Otterman contributed reporting from New York.