After serving an earlier one-year term in Afghanistan as chief of the office of military cooperation, Eikenberry returned in 2005 to take command of the entire 18,000-member American-led coalition.

Eikenberry testified before the House Armed Services Committee in June that the key to defeating the resurgent Taliban forces is to develop the economy of Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries.

“If you were to ask me the question, would it be more important to have a U.S. infantry battalion of 600 on the ground or $50 million for roads, we could deliver more security with $50 million of additional roads being put in,” Eikenberry testified.

Since then, the Taliban has demonstrated a surprising resurgence, particularly in the southern part of Afghanistan where the coalition transferred authority to NATO at the end of July.

“We can’t be complacent because there are areas where they’ve made gains” said Eikenberry.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Eikenberry has masters degrees from Harvard University in East Asian studies and Stanford University in political science.

“It certainly is true the Taliban is stronger in the main.”

Here are two audio clips from an interview with Eikenberry on Sept. 5 after he traveled to Ghazni province to meet soliders and local officials:

The causes of the rise in the insurgency: WMA version | MP3 version

How the mission of the U.S. Army has changed: WMA version | MP3 version