By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 9:47 AM

KABUL -- The top American general in Afghanistan told his subordinates Wednesday that strengthening the Afghan security forces would be "the most important thing we do in the future" while urging the soldiers under his command to redouble their efforts in the difficult months ahead.

In a speech via video conference to regional commanders across Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said that the Afghan people would ultimately deliver the verdict about the success of the American troop buildup but that after President Obama's call Tuesday for 30,000 additional troops, "we have a level of commitment that we've not had before and that will change everything."

"At the end of the day, the success of this operation will be determined in the minds of the Afghan people. Counterinsurgency is always about what people think," McChrystal said. "It's not the number of people you kill. It's the number of people you convince. It's the number of people that don't get killed. It's the number of houses that aren't destroyed."

But after eight years of fighting, many Afghans are skeptical that the U.S. military, even with an additional 30,000 soldiers, can make them safer, defeat the Taliban or help reform the Afghan government enough to attract the widespread support of the people. In fabric stalls and leather shops, among florists and restaurateurs, many in Kabul welcomed any new measure to reverse the growing violence in the country but worried that additional American soldiers might not be enough.

"It's not possible to beat them because there are a lot of Taliban," said Tur Yalai, owner of the Usmania Restaurant in Kabul.

Some Afghans said the additional troops could deepen the perception that Americans are occupiers propping up a corrupt and ineffectual Afghan government. Several cited the porous border with Pakistan and the ability of the Taliban to seek safe haven on the other side.

"Afghan people have never allowed their country to be occupied. This new policy is not for their benefit. The U.S. has so far not satisfied the people," said Ghulam Destigee, who owns a fabric shop in downtown Kabul. He said Americans should focus on pressing President Hamid Karzai to fight corruption and appoint a competent cabinet for his second term.

"If the number of troops increases, insecurity and fighting will increase, more people will be backing the insurgents, more people will die," said Gul Mohammad, an elderly retiree who sat on a stool on the sidewalk nearby. "If they leave, it would be better. Our Islamic territory will be calm and the fighting will be over."

Several Afghan officials supported the American priority to train the Afghan army and police force, and they called for better coordination with coalition forces. NATO and Afghan commanders have set a goal of more than doubling the size of the Afghan army and police to 400,000 members over the next four years. McChrystal said he also wants more on-the-ground partnering between U.S. and Afghan military units.

"If they don't do that, then there will be more civilian casualties, and there will be a larger gap between the people and the government," said Mohammad Anwar Isaqzai, a parliament member from Helmand province, the volatile southern Afghanistan district where some of the first U.S. Marine reinforcements are expected to deploy. "If they coordinate operations and train Afghan forces, they will be able to defeat the Taliban, because Afghans are familiar with the terrain and the situation here."

McChrystal, who met with Karzai and U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry after Obama's speech, described the troop decision as an "inflection point" in the long-running conflict.

"To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I don't think this is the end. I don't even think it's the beginning of the end. But I do believe it's the end of the beginning," McChrystal said.

With the conclusion of the three-month review and Obama's West Point speech, McChrystal said there is a new clarity of purpose in the military mission. The coalition countries are fighting to provide the Afghan government "time, space and capability" to defend their sovereignty, he said.

But the general warned of the dangers ahead.

"There are going to be more long nights. More cold days. More memorial services. More frustrations. More questions. More answers to questions. But there's also going to be more Afghans with a chance," McChrystal said.

"This is not a war for profit, it's not a war for conquest, and it's not a war for glory. It's a war to give people a chance," he said.

Special correspondent Javed Hamdard contributed to this report.