Panetta: U.S. success mixed in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - The United States has driven al-Qaida into hiding and undermined its leadership, but is struggling to oust its primary sympathizer, the Taliban, from Afghanistan, the nation's spymaster said yesterday.

CIA Director Leon Panetta's assessment comes as President Barack Obama advances a risky new war plan that relies on 98,000 U.S. troops to prop up the Afghan government and prevent al-Qaida from returning. No longer overseeing the mission is Gen. Stanley McChrystal, sacked Wednesday in a stunning shake-up in U.S. military leadership after his critical comments about the White House.

"We're seeing elements of progress, but this is going to be tough," Panetta told ABC's "This Week." He said al-Qaida's evolving attack strategy increasingly relies on operatives without any record of terrorism involvement or those already in the United States.

Panetta estimated there are fewer than 100 al-Qaida militants operating in Afghanistan, with the rest hiding along Pakistan's mountainous western border. He said U.S. drone strikes and other spy operations have helped to "take down" half of al-Qaida's senior leaders.

"We are engaged in the most aggressive operations in the history of the CIA in that part of the world, and the result is that we are disrupting their leadership," Panetta said.

At the same time, Panetta offered a less upbeat assessment of the U.S. fight against the Taliban, the anti-U.S. insurgency operating inside Afghanistan.

When asked whether the Taliban had grown stronger since Obama took office, Panetta said the Taliban was acting more violently and being more aggressive in "going after our troops." As challenges in Afghanistan remain, the political clock is ticking. Many of Obama's most ardent Democratic supporters on Capitol Hill have indicated they are leery about more U.S. troops and money solving the problem.

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said troops should begin pulling out in July 2011, as Obama promised, because the Afghans must get the message that they need to take responsibility for their country.

Levin (D-Mich.) said he even would like to see a major military operation in Kandahar delayed until more Afghans can join the fight. He estimated fewer than 9,000 Afghan forces are operating in Kandahar, a fraction of those needed to take control of the city known as the Taliban's spiritual heartland.

Republicans said their biggest concern was that the 2011 deadline was set in stone. Obama has said troops will begin to pull out then, but that the pace and size of the withdrawal will depend upon conditions on the ground.