A top U.S. general says U.S. goals in Afghanistan remain the same despite recent setbacks.
Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, vowed a full probe into the killing of 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province on March 11.
A U.S. soldier, Robert Bales, is the sole suspect in the tragedy and is now being held in isolation at a U.S. military prison in the United States.
Dempsey said 2013 would be a "milestone" as Afghan forces take the lead in security operations before taking full control a year later.
Speaking on U.S. television, Dempsey also said Pakistan was now a stable country and expressed optimism Washington and Islamabad can repair relations, hurt by the November killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a mistaken NATO air strike and accusations by the United States that Pakistan is not doing enough to fight extremists in its tribal areas.
Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, vowed a full probe into the killing of 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province on March 11.
A U.S. soldier, Robert Bales, is the sole suspect in the tragedy and is now being held in isolation at a U.S. military prison in the United States.
Dempsey said 2013 would be a "milestone" as Afghan forces take the lead in security operations before taking full control a year later.
Speaking on U.S. television, Dempsey also said Pakistan was now a stable country and expressed optimism Washington and Islamabad can repair relations, hurt by the November killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a mistaken NATO air strike and accusations by the United States that Pakistan is not doing enough to fight extremists in its tribal areas.