Mullen: US not winning Afghanistan war

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen

The US has admitted that it was fighting a lost war against a deadly insurgency in Afghanistan and needed to revise its strategy.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee that success in Afghanistan would require more civilian effort beyond the military fight.

"I'm not convinced we are winning it in Afghanistan. I am convinced we can," he said, offering a sober assessment nearly seven years since US-led forces toppled the Taliban.

"Frankly, we're running out of time," Mullen said, adding that he was "looking at a new, more comprehensive strategy for the region" that would cover both sides of the border, including Pakistan's tribal areas.

The remarks came amid calls for the West to do more to help reconstruction of the war-torn country.

"These are the keys to success in Afghanistan," said Mullen. "We cannot kill our way to victory."

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 allegedly to arrest al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his aides. But seven years after the September 11 attacks on the United States the issue of hunt for al-Qaeda leaders has almost been forgotten.