(21 Dec 2007) SHOTLIST
Kabul, Afghanistan - 21 December 2006
1. Admiral Mike Mullen speaking to AP reporter
2. Close of Mullen's uniform name tag
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff:
"The Taliban had a pretty hard year last year. They have clearly created more violence, we are concerned about that, so I am cautiously optimistic at this point in time. That said, this is still an economy of force campaign, we need all the coalition and NATO allies to step up as much as they possibly can."
4. Close of Mullen's uniform tag reading "US Navy"
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff:
"The concentration of US forces here, as I know you know, is in the east, and we know we have challenges in the south as well, and the Brits (British forces) have done very well down there, Musa Qala would be an example of that. But it's back to that economy of force. Right now, our priority for our combat forces in particular, as well as our trainers, is in Iraq. We know we need, certainly there would be positive outcomes if we added force right now, it's just a matter of force rotation and that very careful balance. In addition to, again, reliance on our allies to really make a difference outside the wire as well."
FILE: Helmand, Afghanistan - 22 June 2006
6. Various of US jeeps driving in Helmand desert
7. Soldier holding gun standing by jeep
8. Wide of US soldiers and jeeps in dessert
9. Mid of US soldier in front of jeep
STORYLINE:
A top Pentagon official said on Friday that he's "cautiously optimistic" about the progress being made by coalition forces in Afghanistan.
This year has been Afghanistan's bloodiest since the 2001 US-led invasion, sparking concerns that the resurgence of
the Taliban could threaten the success of the international mission and Karzai's fledgling government.
More than 6,300 people have died in insurgency related violence this year, according to an AP count.
"The Taliban had a pretty hard year last year. They have clearly created more violence, we are concerned about that, so I am cautiously optimistic at this point in time," Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told AP Television in Kabul.
Mullen lauded Britain, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands for their contributions in Afghanistan while calling on other coalition and NATO allies "to step up as much as they possibly can."
The U.S. has about 26,000 troops in Afghanistan - 14,000 under NATO's International Security Assistance Force and
12,000 under the US-led coalition, which trains the Afghan army and police and conducts special forces operations.
Overall Afghanistan has about 50,000 international troops.
Some 160,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq.
"Right now, our priority for our combat forces in particular, as well as our trainers, is in Iraq," Mullen said.
Mullen also said on Friday that he hopes the UN will name veteran British diplomat Paddy Ashdown as a so-called super
envoy in Afghanistan to coordinate international development efforts here.
Ashdown served previously as Bosnia-Herzegovina's international administrator.
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