Afghan picture confusing, U.S. Marines' chief says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon does not have a clear picture about the state of the war in Afghanistan, with U.S. commanders on the ground offering positive assessments while intelligence reports are more negative, the U.S. Marine Corps chief said on Friday.

Gen. James Conway said U.S. commanders on the ground pointed to signs of progress, such as the failure of Taliban militants to launch an offensive last spring or summer and the killing of some Taliban leaders.

But intelligence reports going back to 2004 showed Taliban attacks and the casualties they caused both rising. They also indicated a possible increase in the amount of territory the militants controlled and the influence they wield over Afghan tribes, Conway said.

"It is a bit confusing at this point because we as a department need to see it the same way and quite frankly, at this point in time, we just don't," Conway told reporters.

Asked if that should be the case more than six years after the United States invaded Afghanistan, Conway replied: "Well, no... We as a department need to have a common view so that we can agree upon the actions that need to be taken -- no question about that."

The United States announced last month that it would send 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan to help stabilize the country.

The Bush administration has also urged NATO allies to send more troops and military trainers.

Two U.S. nongovernmental studies released this week said Afghanistan could once again become a failed state and terrorist haven unless there were new international efforts to win the war and develop the economy.

The United States has some 29,000 troops in Afghanistan. Around 16,000 serve in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force while the remainder perform missions ranging from training Afghan forces to counter-terrorism.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray, editing by Alan Elsner)