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The US-led offensive in southern Afghanistan is progressing at a slower pace than expected due to Taliban resistance and deadly roadside bombs, US defense chiefs said on Wednesday.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also expressed condolences over the deaths of Afghan civilians in a NATO air strike, saying it underlined the risks associated with any allied military action.
"As you've all been seeing, we're making steady, if perhaps a bit slower than anticipated, progress," Mullen told a news conference.
He said the operation in Marjah, which entered its ninth day on Monday, was a reminder that war "is bloody and uneven."
"It's messy and ugly and incredibly wasteful, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the cost," Mullen said.
He said it was too early to draw any conclusions about the offensive in its second week and warned of more tough fighting ahead.
"We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come."
Gates said even though the assault was "going slower than expected," there were no plans to alter the strategy adopted by the US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.
He and Mullen said a NATO air strike that killed up to 27 Afghan civilians was under investigation and provided no further details surrounding the bombing.
It was the third mistaken NATO air raid reported by Afghan officials in a week, despite McChrystal's orders to reduce the use of air power and artillery to avoid civilian casualties.
Mullen said the civilian deaths showed "how fragile and how tragic" any move "we make can ultimately be" on the battlefield.
General McChrystal had spoken to his commanders in the field by video link earlier to discuss the incident, the admiral said.
Describing the challenges faced by officers weighing the use of air power in combat, Mullen said "these are split-second decisions that commanders in combat on the ground have to make."
Gates praised Pakistan over the recent capture of Afghan Taliban leaders but avoided revealing further details of the operations, reportedly carried out with help from the US Central Intelligence Agency.
Gates said it showed Islamabad had made "real progress" against Islamist militants and underlined "the importance of operations on both sides of the border."
"So I think that the recent events have been another positive indication of the Pakistanis' commitment to stabilizing this border area" with Afghanistan, he said.
Progress slower than expected in Afghan offensive: US military
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also expressed condolences over the deaths of Afghan civilians in a NATO air strike, saying it underlined the risks associated with any allied military action.
"As you've all been seeing, we're making steady, if perhaps a bit slower than anticipated, progress," Mullen told a news conference.
He said the operation in Marjah, which entered its ninth day on Monday, was a reminder that war "is bloody and uneven."
"It's messy and ugly and incredibly wasteful, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the cost," Mullen said.
He said it was too early to draw any conclusions about the offensive in its second week and warned of more tough fighting ahead.
"We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come."
Gates said even though the assault was "going slower than expected," there were no plans to alter the strategy adopted by the US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.
He and Mullen said a NATO air strike that killed up to 27 Afghan civilians was under investigation and provided no further details surrounding the bombing.
It was the third mistaken NATO air raid reported by Afghan officials in a week, despite McChrystal's orders to reduce the use of air power and artillery to avoid civilian casualties.
Mullen said the civilian deaths showed "how fragile and how tragic" any move "we make can ultimately be" on the battlefield.
General McChrystal had spoken to his commanders in the field by video link earlier to discuss the incident, the admiral said.
Describing the challenges faced by officers weighing the use of air power in combat, Mullen said "these are split-second decisions that commanders in combat on the ground have to make."
Gates praised Pakistan over the recent capture of Afghan Taliban leaders but avoided revealing further details of the operations, reportedly carried out with help from the US Central Intelligence Agency.
Gates said it showed Islamabad had made "real progress" against Islamist militants and underlined "the importance of operations on both sides of the border."
"So I think that the recent events have been another positive indication of the Pakistanis' commitment to stabilizing this border area" with Afghanistan, he said.
Progress slower than expected in Afghan offensive: US military
