US general warns of Afghan failure

Inability to provide adequate resources "also risks a longer conflict, greater casualties, higher overall costs, and ultimately, a critical loss of political support" he said, according to the Post report published on Monday.

"Any of these risks, in turn, are likely to result in mission failure."

His said in his assessment that Taliban fighters controlled entire sections of the country.

He also criticised the Afghan government for failing the public and said it was riddled by corruption.

(...) He called for an "urgent need for significant change in our strategy" in Afghanistan, saying the US needs to interact better with the Afghan people and better organise its efforts with Nato. 

"Our objective must be the population. The objective is the will of the people, our conventional warfare culture is part of the problem, the Afghans must ultimately defeat the insurgency," he wrote.