The United States is "running out of time" to win the war in Afghanistan, and the victory can not be achieved by military means alone, the country's top military officer warned yesterday.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said, "we can't kill our way to victory, and no armed force anywhere -- no matter how good -- can deliver these keys alone. It requires teamwork and cooperation."

Nevertheless, he said he is convinced the Afghan war can be won but said the United States urgently needs to improve its nation-building initiatives and its cross-border strategy with Pakistan.

Mullen appeared before the House panel a day before the 7th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which prompted the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Militants have re-established their presence in Afghanistan after U.S. and British troops entered the country in October 2001 and ousted the Taliban government, which was harboring al Qaida, the terror group behind the 9/11 attacks.

In the testimony, Mullen said these militants have grown "bolder."

Mullen stressed that the conflict is exacerbated by the "poor and struggling Afghan economy," the drug trade and "significant political uncertainty in Pakistan."

His remarks came a day after President George W. Bush announced troop reductions in Iraq and the deployment of 4,500 additional troops in Afghanistan.