US losing in Afghanistan, top general admits

John Byrne

August 10, 2009

About that country where the Sept. 11 attackers were actually given safe harbor: We’re losing.

The top American commander in Afghanistan declared that the Taliban are winning in Afghanistan in a startling interview published Monday — a striking contrast to the "Mission Accomplished" rhetoric of the Bush Administration as regards Iraq.

His remarks appear carefully tailored to lower expectations and shift public opinion in support of operations in the war-torn country where few foreign powers have ever seen victory. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when they were routed by a US invasion.

Currently, US operations in Afghanistan cost taxpayers about $4 billion a month. That comes to roughly $133 million per day, or $5.5 million per hour.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, admitted that the Islamic fundamentalist group had gained the "upper hand" in Afghanistan, where the US has had a presence for the last eight years. Critics of the Bush Administration bemoaned the Administration’s diversion of troops to Iraq in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, saying that the reduced level of troops fostered a climate which allowed the Taliban and al Qaeda to regroup.

McChrystal’s interview also appeared designed to augment support for increasing troop levels in parts of Afghanistan. Since President Barack Obama took office, the Pentagon has increased the number of US troops in the country. The strategy described suggests a "hearts and minds" approach which favors securing civilian areas rather than focusing on full-frontal engagement with militants.

"It’s a very aggressive enemy right now," the paper quoted Gen. McChrystal as saying. "We’ve got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It’s hard work."

The interview also quotes unnamed US officials arguing for a further increase in US troops.

"The U.S. will also need more troops if security conditions in north and west Afghanistan continue to deteriorate, the official" told the Journal.

"At the end of the day, it’s all about the math," the anonymous aide purportedly said. "The demand and the supply don’t line up, even with the new troops that are coming in."

McChrystal is calling for a mushrooming of troops in areas where the concentration of Afghan civilians are high, such as Kandahar, where the Taliban currently hold political sway.

But, he says, things are grim: Taliban forces are expanding their presence in areas beyond their usual bases in southern Afghanistan to areas north and west.

The general’s comments appear to contrast anonymous quotations published in Newsweek following the death of Talibani leader Baitullah Mehsud, who the CIA announced had been killed last week.

"Mehsud’s death means the tent sheltering Al Qaeda has collapsed," Newsweek quoted a purported Afghan Taliban intelligence officer as saying. "Without a doubt he was Al Qaeda’s No. 1 guy in Pakistan."

Twelve US troops have already been killed in Afghanistan this month.

McChrystal said he plans a "very significant" expansion of the Afghan army and national police — with a goal of doubling their size.