General David Petraeus, a former CIA director and former commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan said American forces are likely to stay in the country for decades after an increase in troop numbers, The Times in Britain reported.

 “The analogy with Afghanistan isn’t perfect, given that is a true shooting war, but when we have had significant national interests at stake, we have sustained efforts, and I think that is why a sustained commitment is important here but also why that has to be sustainable,” he told The Times.

He “wouldn’t hazard a prediction” on how long NATO forces would be in Afghanistan, but indicated that the 16-year war, America’s longest, was set to last.

“This is not the fight of a decade, much less a few years,” he said. “We are engaged in a generational struggle. That is why we need sustained commitments that are sustainable. I believe that this is a sustainable sustained commitment,” he said.

Petraeus declined to say whether President Donald Trump or members of the administration, including General HR McMaster, the national security adviser,had sought his opinion in devising their new strategy for Afghanistan and the rest of south Asia, The Times stated.

However, he was supportive of the policy, which is expected to mean that an additional 3,900 American forces would be deployed.

This would take the total number of troops in the country to 12,300.

Petraeus meanwhile welcomed the absence of an “artificial deadline” for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, The Times reported adding that he directed veiled criticism towards the former Obama administration for constraining commanders by setting exit timelines. “I applaud the commitment to conditions-based decision-making,” he said.