Top U.S. general in Afghanistan: 'We are on our way to a win'

Gen. John Nicholson, commander of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, says coalition forces have "turned a corner" in the 16-year effort to defeat the Taliban.

Nicholson, despite telling NBC News last week that the conflict remains in a "stalemate," told reporters at the Pentagon today that U.S. and coalition forces, buoyed by 3,000 additional U.S. troops and increased authorities to drop heavy munitions, "are on our way to a win."

"Momentum is with the Afghans," he said today.

U.S. officials have made similar statements in the past.

Part of the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan includes airstrikes on opium operations that provide the bulk of the Taliban's revenue. U.S. forces have sought to stem the flow of drugs from Afghanistan in the past, but have failed.

Nicholson said the U.S. and Afghan governments want peaceful reconciliation with the Taliban. Otherwise, he said, they can "face irrelevance or die."

Nicholson said 1,000 U.S. soldiers will be moving deeper in conflict zones next year to "advise" Afghan military units. Though the Pentagon plans to assess the progress of the war in two years, Nicholson said the military commitment remains unshakable.

"We will be here until the job is done," he said.