**Coalition forces in Afghanistan are going to have to adopt a “dramatically different” strategy to previous ones, the top US general there says.**In his first speech since submitting a report calling for more troops, Gen Stanley McChrystal also said the operation had been “under-resourced”.
The success of the military operation could not be taken for granted in the face of a growing insurgency, he said.
The White House has said that a review of its Afghan plans may take weeks.
“We have under-resourced our operations, in some areas we have under-performed, in some areas we have under-co-ordinated and in some ways we have not overcome very intrinsic disadvantages,” the commander told the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.
The general warned that forces would have to adopt an entirely new approach when tackling the insurgency.
“We are going to have to do things dramatically differently, even uncomfortably differently in the way we operate.”
‘Redefine the fight’
But the commander said that he thought success was possible.
He reasserted his belief that the focus of military action in Afghanistan must shift towards protecting civilians.
“We must redefine the fight. The objective is the will of the Afghan people. We must protect the Afghan people from all threats - from the enemy, from our own actions,” he said.
Gen McChrystal stressed the importance of the Afghan population’s support when tackling the insurgency, adding that verdict of the public was critical in ensuring success.
“We don’t win by destroying the Taliban, by body count, by the number of successful of military raids. We win when the people decide we win,” he said.
“These efforts will not remain winnable indefinitely. Public support will not last indefinitely.”
Gen McChrystal has already said that he wants up to 40,000 more troops on the ground.
But the White House said the president would need to assess progress in Afghanistan and warned that the review could last some time.