The most senior officer in the US military has warned that progress made against the Taliban in recent months is "fragile and reversible", and insisted that America is committed to the country in the long term.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, also said that the US withdrawal from the region in 1989 was in the forefront of their strategic thinking – and made clear that the US wouldn't make the same mistake of leaving too soon again.
Although Mullen said he would not be drawn on the size of the troop withdrawal that President Obama is expected to announce next month, he made it clear that Nato's job in Afghanistan was far from over.
His remarks are likely to dampen speculation that the White House will pull out a significant number of forces in the short-term, despite pressure from some in Congress to do so now that Osama bin Laden has been killed.
Speaking at a briefing in London on Friday, Mullen said that the surge strategy was the right one and that the Taliban had been forced out of many of their safe havens in the southern provinces of Afghanistan.
But he added that "the job is by no means done – the gains that have been generated are fragile and reversible."
"No one is suggesting that the fight is over. The Taliban are working hard to reclaim the territory they lost last year, and they still intimidate and assassinate. This will be a difficult year from a combat standpoint.
"We have rooted them out of their safe havens and they are coming back with a vengeance. We will suffer some tragic losses. That said, I think the momentum is clearly on our side."
Mullen said he could understand why some commanders in the International Security and Assistance Force wanted to keep troop numbers high at least for another year.
"It is pretty rare that any ground commander doesn't want more forces, and doesn't want them for a longer period of time. That is pretty natural."
He added: "With respect to those forces that will start withdrawal this year, the numbers will be determined shortly, but certainly the expectation is that it will be consistent with the strategy and recognise the gains that have been made."
Asked if he thought there was a danger that a withdrawal of too many troops would send the wrong signal to the Afghan people, Mullen referred to the last time the US had a presence in the region more than 20 years ago.
"The last time we were here, we left – in 1989/90. That is the backdrop that I think for all of our decisions. And I don't just say that from an American perspective.
"I get that from locals in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And other regional countries who remember that. They remember it like it was yesterday.
"Keeping that in mind – there is a question out there about whether we are staying or going. President Obama has been very clear with President [Hamid] Karzai that the US is committed to a long-term strategic relationship and partnership with Afghanistan. Clearly with Pakistan as well."
The American defence secretary Robert Gates, who is reported to be resisting calls for the White House to announce a significant troop withdrawal, has said he regretted the way the US left the region in the late 1980s.
Three years ago, he told a congressional committee hearing: "One of the lessons that I think we have is that if we abandon these countries, once we are in there and engaged, there is a very real possibility that we will pay a higher price in the end."
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