US 'Running Out of Time' in Afghanistan: Defense Chiefs

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 10, 2008 7:59 PM CDT
US 'Running Out of Time' in Afghanistan: Defense Chiefs
With Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen looking at left, Defense Secretary Robert Gates testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday.    (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The top US military brass warned Congress today that America needs more troops and a better strategy in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports. "I am not convinced that we're winning" there, said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, though he added: "I'm convinced we can." He and defense chief Robert Gates called for more soldiers to help quell the growing number of militants on the Pakistan border.

"Frankly, we are running out of time," said Mullen. Asserting that we can't "kill our way to victory," Mullen also called for better coordination between the military and both the Pakistani government—for cross-border raids—and US civilian relief groups. Gates echoed the sentiment and said he's "still not satisfied" with the efforts of the Afghan government in particular.
(More Afghanistan stories.)

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