Gen. Stanley McChrystal effectively settles this calibration of how his strategy for the process of securing Kandahar shifted in reaction to local
“„The operation to secure the Kandahar region will unfold more slowly and last longer than the military had planned, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said. The slower pace of the make-or-break operation reflects the reality that the Taliban is not a hated occupier in Kandahar, and the residents McChrystal is trying to protect do not universally want his help.
“„“I do think it will happen more slowly than we had originally anticipated,” McChrystal said.
“„McChrystal predicted he can still demonstrate a turnaround in the war by year’s end, as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this week is necessary to sustain public backing for a war now in its ninth year.