FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. military officer is getting a front-line view of the war in Afghanistan.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting a small base where U.S. forces are have taken heavy losses since arriving in August. But troops have also made inroads against Taliban supply lines in the critical Kandahar province.
The Army’s 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry has suffered 21 killed and 40 wounded in the short time it has been deployed. That’s out of a group of roughly 800.
Mullen told the troops that the way to win is to focus on protecting major population areas and ensuring that Afghans can move freely in their own country.
