US troops prepared for the long haul

Chicago: The US commander in Afghanistan told Reuters he would not be disappointed if a long-sought agreement with Pakistan on supply routes failed to materialise by the end of the Nato summit in Chicago today.

General John Allen, who is also the top Nato commander in Afghanistan, said in an interview he was confident a deal would eventually be struck but "whether it's in days or weeks, I don't know".

Many Obama administration officials had hoped for an agreement with Islamabad in time for the two-day summit that would end a nearly six-month ban prohibiting trucks in Pakistan from carrying supplies to Nato forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Islamabad cut off the ground supply routes after a Nato air strike in November killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, causing a rift with the United States and forcing Nato commanders to look to alternative, most costly routes to supply the war effort.

Get it right

Asked if he would be disappointed if Pakistan didn't strike an agreement before the end of the Chicago talks, Allen said: "No."

"I don't need the [ground supply lines] to be open to support the campaign. But they're helpful to us in sending home our equipment," Allen said.

"We don't want an agreement fast, we want an agreement that's right. So we're going to take the time to get it right."

Pull-out challenge

Allen faces an extremely difficult task, preparing for the withdrawal of most Nato troops by the end of 2014 even as he continues to build up Afghan security forces and move territory under their control. His strategy has been to speed that transition, while enough US forces are still there to help the Afghans when needed.

"Getting as much of that early in the process as we can, so I've got enough combat power here to support [the Afghans] during that early part of the transition's really important," he said.