The general expected to take over command for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan prepared legislators today for a further escalation in violence, playing down hopes for a swift turnaround in fortunes after nine years of war.
Senate confirmation appeared assured for Gen David Petraeus, who became one of the US military's biggest stars after helping turn around the war in Iraq.
President Barack Obama fired the previous commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, last week after he and his aides were quoted disparaging the president and other top civilian advisers in an article in Rolling Stones magazine. The president named Gen Petraeus to take over the war effort in Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan, which began after the September 11th, 2001, attacks on the United States, has become unpopular with the US public, but Gen Petraeus used today's confirmation hearing to play down any quick turnaround hopes.
He acknowledged limitations in training Afghan forces and in building up local governance in the face of what he called an "industrial strength insurgency."
"My sense is that the tough fighting will continue; indeed, it may get more intense in the next few months," Gen Petraeus said in prepared remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"As we take away the enemy's safe havens and reduce the enemy's freedom of action, the insurgents will fight back."
The general called the security situation "tenuous" and said the Taliban insurgency remained resilient and confident it could outlast the United States and its allies.
Gen Petraeus cautioned against assuming that what worked in Iraq would work in Afghanistan, saying progress was slower than expected in the southern heartland of the Taliban insurgency and the task of training Afghan security forces to take over from US troops remained a monumental challenge.
He said the Taliban have begun to feel pressure from the extra 30,000 troops that Mr Obama authorised in December but cautioned that the insurgency remained resilient. Moreover, while he called the current war plan "sound," Gen Petraeus also suggested it was not set in stone.
He predicted that, after the White House's year-end review, there will be "certain tweaks, refinements, perhaps significant changes to get us to that point at which we obviously want to begin these processes . . . beginning in July 2011." That is when Obama hopes to begin withdrawing US forces.
Gen Petraeus made clear he supported the underlying strategy, including Mr Obama's July 2011 timeline, which has met fierce resistance from opposition Republicans in Congress.
"I am keenly aware of concerns by some of our troopers on the ground about the application of our rules of engagement and the tactical directive. They should know that I will look very hard at this issue," he said.
Gen Petraeus stressed any troop drawdown would be based on security conditions on the ground and limited to the 30,000 "surge" forces which President Obama agreed to send in December as part of a revised strategy that put a focus on securing population centres.
In his prepared testimony, he said he would review how the war was being waged, including rules of engagement that some say put US troops at unnecessary risk in an effort to protect Afghan civilians, a potentially controversial move.
He also acknowledged the "hugely challenging" task of building up Afghan security forces to take over for US and Nato troops. "Helping to train and equip host nation forces in the midst of an insurgency is akin to building an advanced aircraft while it is in flight, while it is being designed, and while it is being shot at. There is nothing easy about it," he said.
Reuters