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The top US soldier in Afghanistan has declared that a crucial battlefield is inside the minds of Afghan mothers and tribal elders. General Stanley McChrystal isn't just making the old "hearts and minds" point. He was simply telling politicians on Capitol Hill that the turning point in Afghanistan will be when people there believe the war is being won.

He thinks that it will be clear the Taliban are being beaten by next spring and the job should be done in a year-and-a-half's time. But he was asked by the former Republican presidential candidate John McCain how important it was to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

He said that Bin Laden was an iconic figure whose survival had emboldened the "franchise" of al-Qaeda. He said that his capture wouldn't bring about the end of the organisation (or ideology, if you prefer) but "I don't think we can finally defeat al-Qaeda until we capture or kill him".

The general also firmed up his language in the afternoon.

One of the members of the earlier house committee was worried that the General and others giving evidence seemed to be avoiding words like "victory" and "win".
The trouble was that McChrystal talked about the Afghan people winning, rather than America winning.

It wasn't surprising - given the key to the general's mission is getting the majority of Afghans on side and he is sensitive about America being seen as an occupying power. It is clear some in the administration and on the ground believe that talk of military victory could encourage such perceptions.

It is said the general only takes one meal a day so maybe he used the lunch hour to reflect that his worries are not the same as those on the hill who worry more about perceptions of weakness.

At any rate he refined his soundbite to say "we are in to win, but ultimately the winner will be the Afghan people".

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