The US militarys top officer is concerned about the eroding public support for the war in Afghanistan. The US military is bungling its outreach to the Muslim world and squandering good will by failing to live up to its promises, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote Friday. He said the United States was not even at Year Zero yet when it came to establishing real trust in places such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. There's a very long way to go, he wrote. The Muslim community is a subtle world we don't fully -- and don't always attempt to -- understand. He said the Taliban's utter brutality and disregard for human life had not waned but the movement had achieved some success in Afghanistan because it offered concrete solutions to problems, not just rhetoric. Got a governance problem? The Taliban is getting pretty effective at it. Mullen said that the allies would have to win the hearts of people to keep the Taliban away from them.
