The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says he will not be recommending any further reductions of U.S. troops until later this year after the November elections. Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee, General John Allen also confirmed the NATO occupation has lost 13 soldiers to attacks from Afghan forces so far this year.

Gen. John Allen: “Just since the 1st of January, the coalition has lost 60 brave troops in action, from six different nations. Thirteen of them were killed at the hands of what appear to have been Afghan security forces, some of whom were motivated, we believe, in part by the mishandling of religious materials. I wish I could tell you that this war was simple and that progress could easily be measured. But that’s not the way of counter-insurgencies. They are fraught with both successes and setbacks, which can exist in the same space and in the same time, but each must be seen in the larger context of the overall campaign. And I believe the campaign is on track.”