Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal said Tuesday that the mission in Afghanistan is difficult, and that success will require steadfast commitment and may come at a significant cost.

Gen. McChrystal, Commander of the NATO Internation Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Afghanistan on ways to protect the country from threats, such as al-Qaeda.

“To pursue our core goal of defeating al-Qaeda and preventing their return to Afghanistan, we must disrupt and degrade the Taliban’s capacity, deny their access to the Afghan population and strengthen the Afghan Security forces,” McChrystal said.

"Rolling back the Taliban is a pre-requisite to the ultimate defeat of al-Qaeda,” the General added.

However, McChrystal cited a bevy of reasons for optimism.

“My confidence derives first from the Afghans' resolve, since it is their actions that will ultimately matter most in ending this conflict, with their interests secured...Second, we do not confront a popular insurgency...Third, where our strategy is applied we’ve begun to show that we can help the Afghans establish more effective security and more credible governance. Finally, Afghans do not regard us as occupiers,” he said.

McChrystal also said that the American military faces many challenges in Afghanistan, but asserted that "our efforts are sustained by one unassailable reality: neither the Afghan people nor the international community want Afghanistan to remain a sanctuary for terror and violence.”

Before the committee hearing began, protesters expressed their opposition to the war, holding up signs that read, “Surge Big Mistake,” and “Jobs Not Bombs."