McChrystal: Afghanistan No Longer 'Deteriorating'
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says the security situation in the country remains serious, but is no longer "deteriorating." Gen. Stanley McChrystal was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Istanbul.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
The general in charge of the war in Afghanistan has delivered an expectedly upbeat assessment of progress there. General Stanley McChrystal says the security situation remains serious, but he says it's no longer getting worse.
Here's NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.
MARY LOUISE KELLY: It was less than six months ago that General McChrystal produced a report so pessimistic it shocked official Washington. He warned the enemy in Afghanistan was gaining strength and that unless the U.S. and its allies got their act together fast, defeating the insurgency might no longer be possible. The McChrystal Report, as it became known, was a key factor driving President Obama's decision to commit 30,000 more troops to the fight. Those troops are now arriving and General McChrystal, speaking to reporters today on the sidelines of a NATO meeting, was sounding guardedly optimistic.
General STANLEY McCHRYSTAL (Commander, NATO Forces in Afghanistan): I still will tell you that I believe the situation in Afghanistan is serious. I do not say now that I think it's deteriorating. I think, and I said that last summer, and I believed that that was correct. I feel differently now.
KELLY: McChrystal added it's too early to say the war has turned a corner.
Gen. McCHRYSTAL: But I think we have made significant progress in setting conditions in 2009, and we'll make real progress in 2010.
KELLY: McChrystal's remarks stand in contrast to those of some other U.S. officials. Lieutenant General Ron Burgess, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress this week that the insurgency is looking quote, "increasingly capable."
Lieutenant General RONALD BURGESS (Director, Defense Intelligence Agency): The insurgency retains momentum and has spread west and north.
KELLY: And indeed today, General McChrystal acknowledged the fight is far from won. He talked about a big upcoming offensive in southern Afghanistan to clear insurgents from the town of Marja as the next step in his counterinsurgency campaigning. Announcing the Marja plan has been controversial. Critics argued McChrystal has surrendered the element of surprise. McChrystal says he's trying to send a signal to Afghan civilians living in the area and to the enemy.
Gen. McCHRYSTAL: If they want to fight then obviously that will have to be an outcome. But if they don't want to fight that's fine too. If they
KELLY: General McChrystal concedes that discussing the Marja operation in advance is quote, "a little unconventional." But he says this way the enemy has a chance to think through what it's going to do give up, flee or fight, before suddenly, in dark of night it's hit with an offensive.
Mary Louise Kelly, NPR News.
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