From the New York Times: Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, warned Germans on Wednesday that the Obama administration’s new counter-insurgency strategy increased risks for troops serving there, but that it was a crucial policy aimed at winning support from the Afghan people.

General McChrystal, who made a 17-hour bus trip from Paris to Berlin because of the Iceland volcano’s shutdown of Europe’s airspace, went out of his way during a packed day of meetings to explain the new U.S.-NATO strategy to the Chancellery, Defense Ministry, legislators and think tanks. …

General McChrystal was asked if such a policy meant more risks for the soldiers. “If you keep behind high walls, you have less contact, you have less support and you have less security,” he said. “Staying behind the walls erodes security. The idea of the counter-insurgency is to get out and become more visible. It brings with it some increase in the risk level but the idea is to reduce that risk.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure by the opposition and much of the public to explain why German troops are serving in Afghanistan, will give a major speech Thursday to Parliament on the issue. (Photo: Getty Images)

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