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March 18, 2013: File photo, Gen. John Campbell speaks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.(AP Photo/John Milburn, File)

WASHINGTON The top U.S. military commander for Afghanistan told senators Thursday that he has asked for greater flexibility in how quickly he pulls troops out of Afghanistan and where he can position them around the country in the coming months.

Army Gen. John Campbell provided few details during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said, however, that he has presented military leaders with several options that would allow him to better continue training and assisting Afghan forces, particularly through this summer's peak fighting season.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has pushed for a slower withdrawal of troops from his country, giving them more time to work with Afghan forces who will be fighting largely on their own this summer for the first time.

Current plans call for the U.S. to go from about 10,800 troops there now to 5,500 by year's end. A number of senators have made it clear they disagree with that plan, and they repeated their sharp opposition Thursday, saying the current drawdown plan is too fast and too steep.

"You've got to speak truth to power," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Campbell. "A lack of presence creates a vacuum, and we've seen what fills that vacuum in Syria and Iraq. The ungoverned spaces will allow terrorists to foment the same disaster in Afghanistan as we have seen in Iraq growing instability, terrorist safe havens and direct threats to the United States."

By keeping more than 5,500 troops through the end of the year, Campbell would be able to maintain forces in other locations around the country, both training the Afghan forces and providing support for more counterterrorism missions.

Throughout the Iraq and Afghan wars, commanders have routinely come to Washington with requests for greater latitude in troop withdrawals, usually laying out two or three options and describing the additional security and tasks they could accomplish with each troop level.

So far, President Barack Obama has not publicly endorsed a change in the drawdown plan, but he is expected to meet with Ghani in Washington in the coming weeks.

In response to questions from Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Campbell acknowledged that in order to get down to 5,500 U.S. troops by the end of the year, he would probably need to begin closing facilities and moving equipment and troops during the fighting season. He said he would try to mitigate any risks and not affect the fight.

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US commander wants greater flexibility in Afghanistan troop drawdown

More than 10,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghanistan conflict in 2014, the United Nations reported Wednesday, the highest toll since the world body began counting casualties in 2009.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 3,699 civilian deaths and 6,849 injuries, a 22% increase in total casualties from 2013 as Afghan security forces took full control of the countrys security.

For the first time, U.N. figures showed that ground combat was the leading cause of deaths and injuries among noncombatants, surpassing casualties from bombs and underscoring the changing nature of the war as U.S.-led coalition forces reduce their presence.

The report also illustrated the conflict's growing toll on women and children. With 298 killed and 611 injured, female casualty rates increased 21%. Casualties among children rose 40%, with 714 killed and 1,760 injured, the U.N. said.

The thousands of Afghan children, women and men killed and injured in 2014 attest to failures to protect civilians from harm, Nicholas Haysom, the top U.N. official in Kabul, said in a statement.

The 2014 data confirmed earlier U.N. projections that the final year of the U.S.-led international combat mission would probably be Afghanistans deadliest. Coalition forces have been reduced to about 13,000 troops, including about 10,000 Americans, who are focused on training and advising Afghan soldiers and police officers, though U.S. forces are still authorized to conduct ground counter-terrorism operations and airstrikes.

As in years past, the vast majority of the casualties were attributed to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, who were found to be responsible for 72% of the documented cases.

The 54% increase in casualties from ground combat nationwide has led to overcrowding in health facilities, including the Nangarhar Regional Hospital in the eastern city of Jalalabad, which treats members of the Afghan National Security Forces and civilians, hospital officials said.

The hospital, which lacks a dedicated facility for treating security forces, has seen its thin resources further stretched by the constant arrivals of patients from neighboring provinces. Said Afandi, the hospitals head of training, said more than 60% of patients come from outside Nangarhar province.

Were a regional hospital, but our facilities, even in terms of physical space, are not enough to meet the needs of so many people, Afandi said.

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Civilian casualties in Afghanistan surged in 2014, U.N. says

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GJ Maxwell Batting Against Afghanistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 04/03/2015.

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SPD Smith Batting Against Afghanistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 04/03/2015
SPD Smith Batting Against Afghanistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 04/03/2015.

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