Afghan war commander submits troop request

By PAULINE JELINEK and ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon's top military officer flew to Europe to talk to the commander in the Afghanistan war about how many troops he needs to turn around the faltering campaign.

Two defense officials say Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen met Gen. Stanley McChrystal for a half day of talks Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The U.S. commanders for NATO and the Middle East region also attended. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.

The officials say Mullen received McChrystal's report on how many troops he thinks he needs to defeat the insurgency. They declined to confirm what others have said privately for weeks — that McChrystal wants some 40,000 more troops.

The officials say Mullen wanted a face-to-face talk with McChrystal to better understand what the warfront commander wants and why he wants it.