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In a stark admission, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan told Capitol Hill lawmakers Thursday that after 15 years of war, the conflict remains a stalemate and said thousands more troops are needed to train Afghan forces.

Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, Jr. offered lawmakers a grim assessment about the prospects for truly ending a war that so far has cost more than 2,000 American lives -- and billions of dollars -- since 2001. The challenge, he testified, is made even tougher by Russia and Irans aid to the Taliban, amid signs the militant group is making territorial gains.

I believe we're in a stalemate, Nicholson told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., when asked directly if the U.S. and its allies are winning or losing.

He said he has adequate resources for counterterrorism, but is facing a shortfall of a few-thousand troops to train Afghan forces.

He made clear those additional troops could come from allies as well as the U.S., and said the subject would be on the table when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attends a NATO defense meeting next week in Brussels.

At the Senate hearing Thursday, Nicholson also told lawmakers a U.S. special forces soldier had been severely wounded that morning in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. Twelve Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October.

In further evidence that the war is far from over despite then-President Barack Obama declaring an end to the combat mission in 2014, the United Nations reported Monday a record number of Afghan civilians were killed in Afghanistan last year.The report said nearly 3,500 were killed and nearly 8,000 wounded. A government watchdog group also says the Afghan government only controls 60 percent of the country right now.

Five Americans continue to be held hostage in Afghanistan, according to Nicholson.

At the White House, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump would heed the advice of his generals and defense secretary, but said no decision was imminent.

Restrictions on troop levels in the past administration forced the U.S. military to rely on expensive contractors.

"We have roughly a two-to-one ratio of contractors to soldiers, said Nicholson.Currently, there are 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan, which would put the number of civilian contractors at nearly 17,000. Nicholson said soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division based at Ft. Riley, Kansas, were forced to stay home when their aviation brigade deployed to Afghanistan to adhere to troops limits set under the Obama administration.

This contract for maintenance runs into the tens of millions of dollars, and then the soldiers who are trained to be mechanics are sitting back at Fort Riley not having the opportunity to do their job. So this has a direct impact on army readiness and it also costs us more money, Nicholson said.

Some say Afghanistan has become the forgotten war, despite more American troops on the ground there than in Iraq engaged in the ISIS fight. The subject rarely surfaced on the campaign trail.President Trump mentioned Afghanistan just once to express gratitude for Americans serving there, in prepared remarks while visiting U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., earlier this week.

While Trump has given his generals 30 days to come up with a draft plan to ramp up the ISIS fight, the same request was not made for Afghanistan, where Nicholson says the Russians and the Iranians are now actively supporting the Taliban.

When we look at Russia and Iranian actions in Afghanistan, I believe that, in part, theyre [trying] to undermine the United States and NATO, he said.

Russia's support for the Taliban began last year, according to Nicholson.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said, I think we better let President Trump know that.

Yes sir, Nicholson replied.

Nicholson said Iran is actively recruiting Afghans to fight in Syria, a situation that could blow back on Kabul when those fighters return home.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., questioned the resources spent on the war so far, a number that has reached $117 billion.

"Adjusted for inflation the U.S. has spent more on Afghanistan's reconstruction than it did on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Western Europe after World War II. Reconstructing Afghanistan has now become the largest expenditure to rebuild a single country in our nation's history, he said.

There are fewer American troops on the ground in Afghanistan than any time since 2002. Following the reduction of 1,400 troops at the end of the year, the number stands at a mere 10 percent of the 100,000 at the height of the Obama administrations surge in 2011.

Today, there are nearly 6,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq.

While some questioned the high cost of Americas longest war, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Nicholson, If the United States just said we've had enough, you know, 15 years is long enough, let's just roll up our operation there and come home, do think that we would face the risk of an attack planned and directed from Afghanistan?

Yes, senator, definitely, Nicholson replied.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel . She joined FNC in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent. You can follow her on Twitter at @JenGriffinFNC.

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Top US general says Afghanistan war at 'stalemate,' more ...

New York Times

Militants Kill 6 Red Cross Workers in Afghanistan New York Times Credit Reuters. KABUL, Afghanistan Six employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross were killed and two others were missing on Wednesday after an attack in northern Afghanistan that officials attributed to local affiliates of the ... 6 Red Cross workers killed in AfghanistanCNN Afghanistan: ICRC halts operations after workers killedAljazeera.com Red Cross Says 6 Of Its Workers Were Killed By Unknown Assailants In AfghanistanNPR The Guardian -ABC News -AOL News all 128 news articles »

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Militants Kill 6 Red Cross Workers in Afghanistan - New York Times

ISLAMABAD

At least 11 members of a family were killed in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand when a bomb struck their house during clashes between U.S.-supported government forces and Taliban insurgents, local officials and relatives said Friday.

The incident occurred in the conflict-hit district of Sangin, but it was not immediately clear which side was responsible.

A Taliban spokesman blamed overnight American military airstrikes and said at least 23 civilians were killed.

U.S. military spokesman Brigadier General Charles Cleveland confirmed it had carried out airstrikes in Sangin since Thursday.

We are aware of the allegations of the civilian casualties and take every allegation very seriously. We will work with our Afghan partners to review all related material, he said. Cleveland denied insurgent claims that B-52 aircraft were involved in the strikes.

The Taliban launched a major coordinated offensive on Sangin nearly two weeks ago, overrunning a number of outposts and killing dozens of Afghan forces.

Helmand key for Taliban

The U.S. military has since carried out repeated airstrikes against Taliban positions in support of government troops, but insurgents continue to occupy areas around the district center and launch counterattacks despite official claims of evicting them.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, acknowledged on Thursday that intense fighting continues to rage in the area.

Sadly, there has been some recent fighting in Sangin and we had another American Special Forces solider severely wounded in Sangin this morning, Nicholson told a congressional hearing.

More than 80 percent of Helmand, a major poppy-producing province, is estimated to be controlled by the Taliban and supplies the insurgent group with approximately 60 percent of their funding.

General Nicholson said he hopes a planned deployment of about 300 U.S. Marines this spring will play a key role in helping government forces reverse insurgent gains in Helmand, the largest of all 34 Afghan provinces.

Civilians have borne the brunt of recent intensified and expanded fighting in Afghanistan.

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11 Civilians Killed in Fighting in Southern Afghanistan - VOA News - Voice of America

Mourners carry the coffin of one of six Afghan employees of the Red Cross killed in an attack this week in a remote northern province. Farshad Usyan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Mourners carry the coffin of one of six Afghan employees of the Red Cross killed in an attack this week in a remote northern province.

On Wednesday morning, a Red Cross staffer in Afghanistan pushed his vehicle's panic button.

Three Red Cross vehicles were heading to meet up with a convoy of trucks carrying "winter feed" food for livestock in the remote northern province of Jowzjan in Afghanistan. The plan was for the Red Cross staff to help distribute the 1,000 tons of feed, which is critical for farmers. In the winter, there's nowhere for their animals to graze.

Before the vehicles got to the distribution point, they were ambushed by armed men. The panic button sent an alert to Red Cross offices in Kabul, but efforts to reach the staffers by satellite phone and other means failed. "We couldn't get hold of them," says Thomas Glass, head of communications for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan.

Eventually, community elders, who keep in touch with the Red Cross office in Kabul, reported what little information they had. Six Afghan nationals were shot and killed the driver of each vehicle and field staff accompanying them. Two additional field staff are missing; the Red Cross is "desperately" searching for them, says Glass.

To learn more, we spoke to Glass, age 37, a Swiss national who'd worked in the country from 2010 to 2012 and returned to Kabul for his current tour of duty in October. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Thomas Glass is head of communications for the Red Cross office in Afghanistan. He said of the attack on the aid workers: "I don't know if there are words harsh enough to describe such an act." Courtesy of Thomas Glass hide caption

Thomas Glass is head of communications for the Red Cross office in Afghanistan. He said of the attack on the aid workers: "I don't know if there are words harsh enough to describe such an act."

What do you know about the attack?

It's extremely hard to have exact information. We don't know the number of men, we don't know the motives, we don't know who is behind this.

An Afghan official in the area said it was a group with ties to ISIS.

We actually don't know. We don't have confirmation.

Is there any chance this was just a random occurrence, that the attackers didn't realize they were attacking Red Cross vehicle?

The vehicles are clearly marked. This has all the signs of a deliberate attack.

Red Cross workers have been attacked before in Afghanistan. But the loss of 6 lives at one time seems like another level of violence.

It's definitely a step further. We have 30 years of continuous presence in Afghanistan. So we are well-known, we are respected for our work. To have such a despicable attack, it's shocking. We're completely devastated. We're having a hard time understanding why and how this happened.

How do you decide if it's safe to send out staff in an area where there's conflict?

We communicate with all parties in the conflict, all the weapon bearers. We notify them. We receive security guarantees. If it's not safe to go, we don't go. If it is deemed safe enough, we will try.

The Red Cross has a full plate in Afghanistan, supporting health care, anti-poverty work, sanitation efforts and much more. The ICRC has now issued a statement that activities are suspended until Tuesday and possibly longer.

Certain activities, such as the treatment of patients at medical facilities, will continue. But any movement in the field, including the transfer of war-wounded to hospitals, is on hold.

Do you think the Red Cross might pull out of Afghanistan?

We have to regroup, to get a sense of what happened and how to continue our work without jeopardizing the safety and security of our staff. It's clear that we're not leaving Afghanistan. We are here for the Afghan people. So many innocent people are trapped by this conflict. We can't leave them behind, that's for sure.

NPR experienced a loss in Afghanistan last year, when photographer David Gilkey and interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna were killed. And Afghanistan has the most attacks on aid workers per year 101 attacks in 2015. What do you make of this?

It's not just in Afghanistan. War and conflict brings out the worst in people. And the work of humanitarian workers and journalists has become increasingly not just difficult but dangerous. We've seen more and more deliberate targeting of aid workers and journalists.

Does a tragedy like this make it hard to sleep?

These last few days have been so incredibly intense that as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm out. But I'm up at 4.

The six victims were Afghan nationals. What has the reaction been among Afghans?

What strikes me most is the resilience of the Afghans and the Afghan colleagues. This attack reinforces the belief that we need to continue our work, in the name of our deceased colleagues we need to persevere.

Two Red Cross workers prepare to distribute goods to detainees at a provincial prison in Afghanistan. Farshad Usyan/ICRC hide caption

Two Red Cross workers prepare to distribute goods to detainees at a provincial prison in Afghanistan.

Is there any one interaction with an Afghan that stands out?

I went to a shop, and the shop owner come up to me, shook my hand and embraced me, shared his condolences and told me, "This is not the true Afghanistan."

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Red Cross Reacts To Killing Of 6 Staffers: 'We're Completely Devastated' - NPR

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will make his second trip as defense secretary next week, where he'll meet with NATO allies to discuss increasing the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Mattis is set to leave on Tuesday for a NATO defense ministerial in Brussels, where he'll also meet separately with those ministers from countries participating in the campaign against the Islamic State. On Friday, he'll attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"This trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our NATO alliance and to defeating ISIS," Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

Gen. John Nicholson, the leader of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, told Congress on Thursday that the train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan is short a few thousand troops, which could come from the U.S. or from NATO allies. He said Mattis is likely to discuss raising the number of troops in Afghanistan during next week's meetings.

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Davis said there will be a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings during the conferences to allow the new secretary to meet face-to-face with his international counterparts.

Vice President Mike Pence, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, and more than a dozen members of a congressional delegation lead by Sens. John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse are also all expected to attend the security conference in Munich.

Mattis met with German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen at the Pentagon Friday morning, and Davis said Afghanistan was part of their discussion.

Mattis' first trip as defense secretary this month involved visits to Japan and South Korea to reinforce relationships with two key allies in the Pacific.

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Mattis visits Brussels, Germany next week to talk Afghanistan, ISIS fights - Washington Examiner