- WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is telling a Senate committee that US and Afghan forces are searching for ways to better defend against spectacular attacks by insurgents, like the assault on the US Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul last week.
In his first congressional testimony since taking office, Panetta said Thursday that it is important to limit insurgents’ ability to create the perception that security in the Afghan capital is deteriorating.
Overall, he said, the US and NATO effort to stabilize Afghanistan is “headed in the right direction.”
Panetta is testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, alongside Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.