August 31, 2009 - The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has completed his long-awaited strategy review and has delivered his assessment to U.S. and NATO officials.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal says the situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and strategic changes must be made.

Further details were not immediately available.

U.S. President Barack Obama had called for a thorough review of the U.S. strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan to battle a growing insurgency of Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

Earlier this month, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said he believes the situation in Afghanistan is "serious and deteriorating."

And, last week The New York Times reported that U.S. military commanders with the NATO mission in Afghanistan said they do not have enough troops to do their job.

The newspaper did not identify its source, but said commanders emphasized to U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke in recent meetings that they needed more troops.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

VOA News