Washington (AFP) – The top US military commander for the Middle East said Thursday that America would need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to stave off a resurgent Taliban.

General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), told the Senate Armed Forces Committee he was currently working on a new strategy to break the war out of a stalemate.

“I do believe it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective,” he said.