Gen Petraeus collapses in senate, doubts grow over Afghan war effort

Top US lawmakers voiced strong concern about the direction of president Barack Obama's war effort in Afghanistan on Tuesday at a congressional hearing halted abruptly when a key general fainted.

General David Petraeus, a prostate cancer survivor who oversees the Afghan war effort as head of the US central command, briefly collapsed about an hour into the hearing in the senate armed services committee.

In what one observer called "a frightening moment", the general suddenly slumped face-forward on the large desk where he sat to give testimony.

Aides rushed to his side and gently escorted him into a private room for checks by a military doctor.

Gen Petraeus later blamed dehydration and skipping breakfast for the incident — and joked it wasn't tough questioning from the likes of senator John McCain, the panel's senior Republican, that triggered his fainting spell.

McCain, who ran against Democrat Obama in the 2008 presidential election, called Petraeus a hero. But he also warned that the Afghan campaign could be heading toward a 'crisis', reflecting growing impatience among many lawmakers over the pace of the war.

"I am deeply concerned about our campaign in Afghanistan," said McCain, who supported Obama's surge of 30,000 additional US forces announced in December.

"Many of the key trends seem to be heading in a bad direction, perhaps even signalling a mounting crisis," he said.

McCain cited persistent insecurity in southern Afghanistan, a perceived lack of commitment by NATO allies, and the shortcomings of president Hamid Karzai's government.

Perceived setbacks in the Afghan campaign include stronger-than-expected Taliban resistance in the southern stronghold of Marjah and a slower start to a long-awaited offensive in the Taliban's birthplace of Kandahar.

The massive military operation in Kandahar is the linchpin of Obama's campaign to turn the tide in the Afghan war this year, and will weigh heavily in a White House review of war strategy scheduled for December.

Under Obama's strategy, US forces would gradually begin to withdraw starting July 2011 as Afghan forces increasingly take the lead.

US defence secretary Robert Gates said last week that he believed some areas could be transferred to Afghan control as early as this winter.

But senator Carl Levin, the Democrat who heads the committee, zeroed in on failings to sufficiently ramp up Afghan security forces.

"Progress towards the goal of Afghans taking the lead in operations has been unsatisfactory," Levin said.

McCain urged Obama to reconsider his July 2011 timeline to begin withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan, calling it "simply unrealistic" given the situation on the ground.

"It now seems increasingly clear that hoping for success on the arbitrary timeline set by the administration is simply unrealistic," McCain said.

"It's time for the president to state unequivocally that we will stay in Afghanistan until we succeed. We need to begin a realistic debate about what it will take and how long it will take to achieve our goals," McCain said.

Gen Petraeus, who has sought to manage expectations in the war effort he oversees, told the panel that "the going was likely to get harder before it got easier".

Asked if he still supported beginning a withdrawal in July 2011, tne general said: "I support the policy of the president."

But he said his support for the withdrawal date was qualified, telling lawmakers: "In a perfect world... we have to be very careful with timelines."