washington top u.s. general afghanistan say monday believe could help afghan force drive back taliban enough control least 80 percent country within two years compare two-thirds today general john nicholson cite counter-insurgency doctrine say gain 80 percent control country would represent turn point 16-year-old conflict become long u.s war believe critical mass necessary drive enemy irrelevance mean live remote outlying areas reconcile die nicholson tell pentagon news brief via video conference afghanistan remark carry echo u.s.-led strategy begin 2009 accompany massive surge u.s. force peak 2011 100,000 troop many areas regain u.s.-led operations eventually revert taliban control western force turn afghans u.s. military presence fraction peak level today president donald trump send additional 3,000 troop afghanistan recent weeks bring total number u.s. troop 14,000. pentagon also direct intelligence assets firepower country gain islamic state iraq syria free resources afghanistan allow major increase u.s. air strike nicholson say reach high level year since 2012. still taliban control country remain roughly steady last year nicholson acknowledge august 13 percent 407 district afghanistan taliban control influence compare 11 percent february accord report release last month u.s. government watchdog special inspector general afghanistan reconstruction sigar many analysts well current former u.s. officials believe afghanistan war militarily particularly taliban benefit safe-havens pakistan trump articulate hard policy toward pakistan recent months u.s. officials say yet see meaningful shift islamabad insurgents use pakistan hub attack afghanistan afghan army also suffer deep structural problems include high casualty rat rampant illiteracy corruption frequent lack tribal tie areas send fight still nicholson view get afghan force hold 80 percent country population would leave taliban less 10 percent control maybe rest contest say one way nicholson hop increase pressure taliban curb finance show videos pentagon reporters u.s. strike recent days taliban opium factories cite estimate 400 500 opium factories afghanistan afghan opium production reach record highs year 87 percent last year unite nations say last week u.n. office drug crime unodc say output opium make poppies afghanistan world main source heroin stand around 9,000 metric tons year u.s. general set two-year goal drive back afghan taliban