Afghan war winnable without Pakistan help on border: US

Afghan war winnable without Pakistan help on border: US
WASHINGTON: Nato-led forces can still win the war in Afghanistan even if Pakistan fails to move against militants on the border, a top US general said on Tuesday.

"That's not a mission stopper in my mind," General David Rodriguez, deputy US commander in Afghanistan, told a Pentagon news conference.

Rodriguez said the war effort would not be derailed even if Pakistan never fulfils promises to take action in North Waziristan, saying Islamabad has launched effective operations elsewhere along the northwest border.

"We need them to do more. We're going to encourage them to do more because that makes it easier on what we're doing. But I think it's still doable, without them decreasing what they've been doing, which is significant," he said.

Rodriguez said he expected violence in Afghanistan to increase as usual in the spring as the insurgency launches its annual "seasonal" offensive.

But he predicted the Taliban would change its approach, targeting Afghan officials for assassination.

Rodriguez leads the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, serving under the overall commander in Afghanistan, US General David Petraeus.