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U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman: 'A bit more to do' in Afghanistan

Myers talks to reporters in Kandahar

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- There is more to be done before U.S. forces leave Afghanistan, including helping the nation form an army, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.

"The one thing you want to leave here if you can is a secure environment," Air Force Gen. Richard Myers told reporters in Kandahar. "However long that takes will be the right amount of time."

He said a team from the U.S. Central Command has been consulting with interim government officials to determine what is needed to set up an Afghan fighting force.

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Myers' visit to the southern Afghanistan city is the last stop on a five-day regional visit to meet with national leaders, military commanders and troops. He arrived at the U.S. base at the city's airport shortly before the briefing.

Myers arrived from Kabul, the Afghan capital, where he met with interim Afghanistan Chairman Hamid Karzai and other government officials. He planned to have dinner with the troops before returning to Washington.

A goal of his trip, Myers said, was to meet with leaders "to tell them how much we appreciate their support in the war on terrorism."

Myers was asked about the Pentagon's newly announced Office of Strategic Influence, which is aimed at marketing America's war on terrorism outside the United States.

Though he said he is not very familiar with the concept, he assured the reporters, "We're never going to lie to our coalition partners or to the American people" about military efforts. "There are a lot of pieces of the campaign that have yet to be approved."

Answering a question about this months's strike at Zawar Kili by a CIA Predator missile, he said, "I will say we think it was a good target."

Military investigators have found documents, weapons and human remains that could determine if the strike in eastern Afghanistan killed top al Qaeda officials.

There has been speculation that accused terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden may have been among the people targeted at the site. DNA testing of remains is being done.

While Myers said the United States and its coalition partners have routed Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, "there is a bit more to do here."

"There still is a mission here in Afghanistan. There still are significant -- we think -- pockets of Taliban and al Qaeda," Myers said. "There are still leadership of those organizations that we think are still in Afghanistan. Until we do our best to eradicate those pockets, we'll be here for whatever time it takes after that."