Wire: US Commanders Back Afghan Troop Hike Assessment

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2009 -- Newswire services this evening reported that the head of the U.S. Central Command, Army General David Petraeus, said on Wednesday that both he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen had endorsed an assessment by the top commander in Afghanistan that says more troops would be needed.

"Obviously I endorsed, the chairman endorsed... Gen. (Stanley) McChrystal's assessment and description," Petraeus said at a counterinsurgency conference in Washington, Reuters news service reported.

This is a developing story.

(Report from newswire sources.)