WASHINGTON — A top U.S. and allied commander set the stage for a recommendation to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, calling Monday for an overhaul in strategy to help stem losses that began during the Bush administration and have accelerated in recent months.
In a brief statement about his internal report, released by the command in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal acknowledged that turning the war around would be difficult.
"The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort," McChrystal said.
In his report, which was prepared for military leaders, McChrystal did not specifically recommend a troop increase, instead spelling out plans to intensify development of Afghan security forces, improve the country's government and refocus economic development initiatives, according to a description by NATO officials.
But McChrystal is widely expected among military officials to seek extra troops, and experts said Monday that his assessment would almost certainly lead to such a request in coming months.
"It is hard to imagine he is not going to ask for more troops," said retired Maj. Gen. William Nash.
The assessment reflects McChrystal's belief that the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization need to adopt a counterinsurgency warfare strategy that focuses on making Afghan citizens feel safer, military officials said.
Such a strategy would rely more heavily on the presence of troops, probably requiring greater numbers than the combined U.S. and NATO force, which has passed the 100,000 mark this year. McChrystal commands the combined force.
"It cannot be done without more troops. And Gen. McChrystal will ask for them," said a former senior U.S. Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the troop increase issue.
The report was issued to NATO and to Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, which controls forces in the Mideast. The U.S. military, which considers the report a confidential internal document, does not plan to release it to the public, a Defense official said.
McChrystal's assessment came amid a series of challenges, including two consecutive months of record U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan. On Monday, two U.S. service members and two British troops were killed in separate attacks in the south, officials said.
