'How many more must die supporting a mission that is failing?' Senior U.S. officer breaks ranks to expose 'truth and lies about Afghanistan'

Colonel Davis says he 'witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level '

'How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?' asked Colonel Davis

The Pentagon says it disagrees Colonel Davis' account

Damning report: Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis said he 'witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level'

A US army officer has accused the American military of painting a misleading picture of progress in the war in Afghanistan.



Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis turned whistleblower and broke ranks with the official portrayal of the Afghan war after he 'witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.'

'How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?' Colonel Davis asked in an article titled 'Truth, Lies and Afghanistan: How Military Leaders Have Let Us Down.'

'No one expects our leaders to always have a successful plan,' he said in the article. 'But we do expect — and the men who do the living, fighting and dying deserve — to have our leaders tell us the truth about what’s going on.

In the piece published online in the Armed Forces Journal, which Colonel Davis admitted may cost him his career, he says he believes it is his duty to speak out because he has access to classified material which prove a disparity between what has happened and what the public is told.

Rising death toll: The body of Army Brig. Gen.Terence J. Hildner was returned to Dover Air Force Base, Del yesterday. 'How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?' Colonel Davis asked in his article

He said that if Americans were able to compare 'the public statements many of our leaders have made with classified data, this credibility gulf would be immediately observable.'

COMMENTS MADE BY U.S. COLONEL DANIEL DAVIS

In the online article discussing U.S. progress in the Afghan war, Colonel Davis made several damning assertions:

'What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.'

'I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.'

'In all of the places I visited, the tactical situation was bad to abysmal.'

'How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding and behind an array of more than seven years of optimistic statements by U.S. senior leaders in Afghanistan?'

'If Americans were able to compare the public statements many of our leaders have made with classified data, this credibility gulf would be immediately observable.'

'The American people deserve better than what they’ve gotten from their senior uniformed leaders over the last number of years. Simply telling the truth would be a good start.' Source: ArmedForcesJournal.com

His comments come as U.S Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has announced he believes international troops could end their combat role by the end of 2013, bringing a close to the decade-long engagement in Afghanistan.

Colonel Davis, joined the army in 1985 and spent most of last year on his second deployment to Afghanistan working with the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, a job he says took him 'into every significant area where our soldiers engage the enemy.'

He says it was this experience in which he spoke to over 250 soldiers, which confirmed that what he 'saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.'

He wrote that local Afghan government officials are failing to serve the Afghan population, and their security forces are reluctant to fight insurgents or are colluding with the Taliban.

Last week a leaked Nato report claimed the Taliban remain defiant and have wide support among the Afghan people.

Colonel Davis' observations have already been expressed by American and coalition troops, who are often become frustrated with Afghan security forces.



Colonel Davis, cites an example of the lack of progress as a conversation he had with an Afghan police officer in eastern Afghanistan in Kunar province less than three hours after an insurgent attack.



Through an interpreter, he asked the police captain how his forces usually responded to such an incident and if his squad would go after the insurgent fighters.

U.S. soldiers and Afghan security forces: Colonel Davis' observations have already been expressed by American and coalition troops, who are often become frustrated with Afghan security forces

The Afghan police officer allegedly looked surprised and said: 'No! We don't go after them. That would be dangerous!'

The Pentagon says it disagrees Colonel Davis' account but has not suggested any disciplinary action.



'Lieutenant Colonel Davis is obviously entitled to his opinion,' spokesman George Little said, adding that defence secretary Leon Panetta 'has very strong confidence in his commanders in Afghanistan, as they provide assessments of what is happening on the ground in the war.'



This week it was announced, that the civilian death toll for the war in Afghanistan reached a record high last year with 3,021 deaths, according to the United Nations.

Colonel Davis has reportedly provided a full account of his findings in a classified report to several members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, senators and House members.

Since 2001, the US death toll in Afghanistan has grown to 1,892 and coalition death figures reach 2,883.



Most recently Brigadier General Terence Hildner became the highest-ranking U.S. soldier to die in the country. He passed away on Friday.



He had commanded the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Fort Hood since August 2010 and left for Afghanistan in December to support the Nato mission there.



This week it was announced, that the civilian death toll for the war in Afghanistan reached a record high last year with 3,021 deaths, according to the United Nations.

The number killed rose by 8% last year – the fifth consecutive rise – with a further 4,507 civilians wounded, the UN report said.



Many were killed by roadside bombs or in suicide attacks, with Taliban-affiliated militants responsible for three-quarters of the deaths.