Newly appointed head of US military operations in Afghanistan General David Petraeus has said in an interview that an American withdrawal will happen only when conditions permit a transition to Afghans in the security forces and government.
Progress in Afghanistan only began this spring and needs time to take root, the US army general said in comments broadcast today.
Gen Petraeus, who's been credited with a successful war strategy in Iraq and who took charge of US and Nato military operations in Afghanistan in July, described an "up and down process" of seizing Taliban-controlled territory and creating "small pockets of progress" that he hoped will expand.
The goal, he told NBC's Meet the Press, is to keep al-Qaeda and other extremist groups at bay while the Afghan government has a chance to take control and earn the trust of the local population.
"We're here so that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for transnational extremists the way it was when al-Qaeda planned the 9/11 attacks in the Kandahar area," Gen Petraeus said in an interview taped in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Gen Petraeus' comments come as US support for the 9-year war is slipping and the death toll is climbing. July was the deadliest month for US forces, when 66 troops were killed.
Gen Petraeus and other military officials have warned of more combat casualties as additional US troops are sent to the fight. Last autumnl, President Barack Obama authorised 100,000 troops in Afghanistan — triple the level from 2008.
President Obama's Democratic supporters have reluctantly swung behind the plan, but lawmakers are beginning to question whether the war in Afghanistan can be won.
As the fighting intensifies, the Pentagon and White House are hoping that political support for the war can hold at least through year's end to give Petraeus time to show progress. Petraeus is expected to give an updated assessment to Congress in December.
Gen Petraeus said in the interview that the war only recently has been given the right "inputs," or resources: more US and Afghan troops to take over Taliban territory and more civilians to restore services to the population.
"There is understandable concern and, (in) some cases, frustration," he said. "Therefore we have got to really put our shoulders to the wheel and show during the course of this year that progress can be achieved."
Gen Petraeus described Afghanistan as a tough and enduring fight that would require its "character and its size being scaled down over the years." If the US loses, there would likely be a bloody civil war followed by a takeover by extremists. If the US succeeds and Afghanistan stabilises, the country could become the region's new "Silk Road" with the potential to extract trillions of dollars worth of minerals, he said.
But the goal is not to turn Afghanistan into an industrialised democracy, he said. Even if the nation relies heavily on tribal councils for governance, the central government in Kabul could still run the nation effectively without influence from extremist groups such as al-Qaeda.
Gen Petraeus said arresting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remains a primary goal.
He also said the Taliban leadership had detached itself from much of the fighting, occasionally sending messages via mobilel phones, but is not as engaged in the war as before.
"We actually see discussions among (Taliban foot soldiers), chatter among them ... wondering where their senior leaders are, and wondering why (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar hasn't set foot back in Afghanistan or even been heard from now in months and months and months," he said.
When asked about the US relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Petraeus denied there were serious problems and defended Karzai as a leader trying to curb corruption. Petraeus said he and Karzai usually talk once a day, sometimes more, and take walks in the garden behind Karzai's house.
"We have the kind of relationship that, I believe, we can each be forthright with the other and that means occasionally, again, confronting issues that are difficult for either of us," he said.
AP