AND HE'S BEING DIPLOMATIC:

US intelligence chief criticises spy failings in Afghanistan: Maj Gen Michael Flynn says work of US intelligence agencies in Afghanistan only 'marginally relevant' to overall mission (guardian.co.uk, 1/05/10)

The top US military intelligence officer in Afghanistan has sharply criticised the work of US intelligence agencies in the country, saying they were only "marginally relevant" to the overall mission.

In a stinging assessment of US intelligence work in Afghanistan, Major General Michael Flynn wrote: "The vast intelligence apparatus is unable to answer fundamental questions about the environment in which US and allied forces operate and the people they seek to persuade."

The report continued: "US intelligence officers and analysts can do little but shrug in response to high-level decision makers seeking the knowledge, analysis and information they need to wage a successful counterinsurgency."