David McKiernan told that coalition strategy had so far been clear, but under-resourced. Coalition forces in Afghanistan are not winning in large parts of the south, the commander of NATO and US forces there has said.
McKiernan said a decision to send more US troops to Helmand province later this year did not amount to a criticism of British troops based there. The US government has said it will deploy up to 17,000 extra troops to Afghanistan.
Gen McKiernan said there were areas in the north, east and west where "coalition efforts in support of the government of Afghanistan [are] winning".
He said "But there are other areas – large areas in the southern part of Afghanistan especially, but in parts of the east – where we are not winning." He added In these areas "more has to happen along multiple lines of operation in order for anybody by any metric to say that the Afghans are winning or the efforts of the coalition are winning."
In last month Barack Obama the US President authorized the deployment of up to 17,000 extra US troops to Afghanistan amid a major review of US policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Already about 14,000 US troops serving with the Nato-led mission and also 19,000 US troops under sole US command charged with fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.
Gen McKiernan said he was "very satisfied" with the contribution of British troops in Helmand. He said,"Our challenge in the southern part of Afghanistan is that we don’t have enough of a persistent security presence in all the areas that allow the other lines of operation – better governance – to develop in that area."
McKiernan said "So these US forces, this force uplift, of which the majority will be positioned in the southern part of Afghanistan, I think will change security conditions there this year."
Leave Your Comments