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US Afghan strategy 'not working' US Afghan strategy 'not working'
(about 2 hours later)
A report by the US's top general in Afghanistan is expected to admit the current strategy is not working. A report by the top US general in Afghanistan is expected to admit the current strategy is not working, the BBC understands.
General Stanley McChrystal's report is also expected to say that protecting the Afghan people against the Taliban must be the US's top priority. General Stanley McChrystal's review is also expected to say that protecting the Afghan people against the Taliban must be the top priority.
But the report will not contain any recommendations on troop numbers. But the report will not carry a direct call for increasing troop numbers.
It comes days after the elections in Afghanistan. Partial results give President Hamid Karzai a lead over rival Abdullah Abdullah. It comes as further results from last week's election are expected. President Hamid Karzai is leading so far.
A new tranche of results is expected to be released at around 1230 GMT on Monday.
Crisis of confidenceCrisis of confidence
The BBC understands General McChrystal's report will say that the Afghan people are undergoing a crisis of confidence because the war against the Taliban has not made their lives better. BBC North America editor Mark Mardell says General McChrystal's report is expected to liken the American military in Afghanistan to a bull charging at a matador [the Taliban] - slightly weakened each time it is "cut".
General McChrystal says the aim should be for Afghan forces to take the lead but their army will not be ready to do that for three years and it will take a lot longer for the police. This is striking because it is not the usual way that US commanders talk about the country's military, our correspondent says.
He will warn that villages have to be taken and held, not merely taken. The general's blunt assessment will also say that the Afghan people are undergoing a crisis of confidence because the war against the Taliban has not made their lives better, our correspondent says.
General McChrystal says the aim should be for Afghan forces to take the lead but their army will not be ready to do that for three years and it will take much longer for the police.
And he will warn that villages have to be taken from the Taliban and held, not merely taken.
General McChrystal also wants more engagement with the Taliban fighters and he believes that 60% of the problem would go away if they could be found jobs.General McChrystal also wants more engagement with the Taliban fighters and he believes that 60% of the problem would go away if they could be found jobs.
This report does not mention increasing troop numbers - that is for another report later in the year - but the hints are all there. Hints on troop numbers
When General McChrystal's report lands on the President Obama's desk he will have to ponder the implications of increasing commitment to a conflict which opinion polls suggest is losing some popular support among the American people. More than 30,000 extra US troops have been sent to Afghanistan since President Barack Obama ordered reinforcements in May - almost doubling his country's contingent and increasing the Western total to about 100,000.
What what we need to do is to correct some of the ways we operated in the past General Stanley McChrystal(In recent BBC interview) Nato's new approach
This report does not mention increasing troop numbers - that is for another report later in the year - but the hints are all there, our correspondent says.
But when General McChrystal's report lands on President Obama's desk he will have to ponder the implications of increasing a commitment to a conflict which opinion polls suggest is losing support among the American people.
The latest Washington Post-ABC news poll suggests that only 49% of Americans now think the fight in Afghanistan is worth it.
In a recent BBC interview, General McChrystal said that he was changing the whole approach to the conflict in Afghanistan - from what he described as a focus on "body count", to enabling the Afghans to get rid of the Taliban themselves.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised more support for UK troops in Afghanistan, during a surprise visit to the country.
During the visit he met General McChrystal. Correspondents say the pair discussed the need to speed up the pace of training of Afghan troops.