Mullen to soldiers: Afghan casualties will rise - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Mullen to soldiers: Afghan casualties will rise

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The nation’s top military commander Monday told soldiers, including many bound for Afghanistan, that he expects casualties to rise next year as additional U.S. troops pour into the war.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answered soldiers’ questions for about an hour here. Many at Fort Campbell already had orders for Afghanistan before President Barack Obama unveiled his plan last week to add about 30,000 troops to about 70,000 already there.

“I expect a tough fight in 2010,” Mullen said.

Several questions from soldiers focused on the role of Pakistan and America’s NATO allies in containing al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Mullen said the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is “the epicenter for global terrorism.”

He said Pakistan’s military has made huge gains in routing out terrorists from that country, but reminded soldiers that Pakistan is a sovereign nation.

“At the end of this mission, those safe havens [for terrorists] need to go away,” he said.