WASHINGTON — The Pentagon's intelligence chief says the work of U.S. and NATO forces to stabilize Afghanistan is at risk of being squandered.

Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the Defense Intelligence Agency's director, is telling a Senate panel the U.S. must do "something very different" in Afghanistan or else the Taliban will make new advances on the battlefield. He says the current stalemate in fighting could then tip in the Taliban's favor.


senate intelligence 51117

The heads of the United States intelligence agencies, (L-R) Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo testifiy before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill May 11, 2017, in Washington, DC.
Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Stewart says he visited Afghanistan six weeks ago to see the situation for himself.

His grim assessment comes as the Trump administration considers sending a few thousand more troops to Afghanistan, mainly to boost training and advising of Afghan forces.


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