Mullen Worries Fighters May Return to Kandahar

KANDAHAR AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. military officer says during a visit to Afghanistan that he's encouraged by signs of greater security in key areas of southern Afghanistan.

But Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, says he's concerned that militants flushed from their longtime headquarters in Kandahar province may try to return in force next spring and summer.

Mullen says U.S. commanders are right to be on watch for signs the militants are regrouping.

The Taliban and other fighters were pushed out of areas in western Kandahar that they had occupied for years, although many remain and fighting continues.

Mullen toured the battlefield in Kandahar and Helmand provinces on Thursday where some of the heaviest fighting has gone on.