WASHINGTON — President Obama's pick to lead U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that casualties are likely to increase as the military steps up its campaign against insurgents.
Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal also voiced skepticism that Taliban guerrillas could be persuaded to sever their ties with Al Qaeda; a similar strategy was crucial in McChrystal's success as commander of special operations forces in Iraq.
"I don't think that the Taliban have any reason right now to turn their back on Al Qaeda," McChrystal said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, his first public remarks since being selected last month to lead an overhauled U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
One reason is that the Taliban is widely perceived in the region as prevailing against coalition forces. He also cited intermarriage among Al Qaeda members and Taliban-connected tribes along the border with Pakistan. "They've created connections that are beyond just organizational," he said.
McChrystal, director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff, is expected to make sweeping changes in the U.S. approach to a war effort that has suffered setbacks since the rout of the Taliban government in 2001.
President Obama has ordered an additional 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates last month fired the U.S. commander there, Gen. David D. McKiernan, to bring "fresh thinking" to the battle.
McChrystal said his strategy will rely heavily on bolstering U.S. intelligence collection, reducing civilian casualties and dramatically speeding up the training of Afghan security forces.
The Obama administration wants to expand the Afghan forces to 134,000 troops from 86,000. But McChrystal made it clear that the number of troops needed probably will rise well beyond that.
"Success will not be quick or easy," McChrystal said. "Casualties will likely increase."
McChrystal, a specialist in guerrilla warfare who is known for his ascetic lifestyle and extreme fitness regimen, was credited for his inventive use of special operations teams in Iraq to track down Abu Musab Zarqawi and other insurgents.
But in the Afghan conflict, insurgents routinely retreat across the border to safety in Pakistan. McChrystal all but ruled out U.S. operations in Pakistan as "not valid," while acknowledging a need to share intelligence and expertise with the Pakistani government.
