Afghan conflict serious, 'deteriorating': Mullen

[Naveed Yaseen]

WASHINGTON (August 24 2009): The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating along with US public support for the war, Washington's top military officer said on Sunday as the new commander on the ground assesses whether to seek more troops.

"I think it is serious and it is deteriorating, and I've said that over the past couple of years - that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics," said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

US combat deaths have risen since US President Barack Obama ordered a troop build-up to confront a resurgent Taliban, with a record 44 US troops killed in Afghanistan in July. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll showed a majority of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more troops should be sent there.

"Certainly the numbers are of concern," Mullen said on NBC's "Meet the Press." But he later added, "this is the war we're in."

Mullen said the new commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, was "wrapping up" his assessment of the situation and would submit it in a few weeks. "Actually we're not at a point yet where he's made any decisions about asking for additional troops," Mullen told CNN's "State of the Union" show.

"His guidance from me and from the secretary of defence was to assess where you are and tell us what you need, and we'll get to that point."

McChrystal's report, originally due in mid-August, was expected after the Afghan election process is completed. Counting is under way following Thursday's election, which drew allegations of vote rigging Sunday from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's main challenger.

A credible election result is important for the country and for US President Barack Obama, who has made stabilising Afghanistan a top foreign policy priority.

NO ENDLESS DRIFT:

Mullen also said Obama's new strategy on Afghanistan was just getting into place, with more military troops and civilian efforts. He said the United States faced a multi-year effort to establish security and enable Afghan forces to maintain it. "I don't see this as a mission of endless drift. I think we know what to do, we've learned a lot of lessons from Iraq, focusing on the Afghan people," Mullen said.

"It's a counterinsurgency effort right now. ... And that's why we've got to focus on the Afghan people, their security and creating Afghan forces to provide for those."

Sen. John McCain, the Republican who was defeated by Obama in last year's presidential election, said on Sunday that he did not believe there were enough troops on the ground in Afghanistan. McCain told ABC's "This Week" that the "clock is ticking" on American public opinion of the Afghan war. "I think you need to see a reversal of these very alarming and disturbing trends on attacks, casualties and areas of the country that the Taliban has increased control of," he said.

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