Washington, Aug 6 - Blaming the previous Bush administration for 'a culture of poverty' that had starved the US campaign against Taliban, the top US military official says America is still digging its way 'out of a hole' in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

'I'm digging myself out of a hole in Pakistan and in Afghanistan,' Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Washington Times in an interview published Thursday.

'So there's an argument to be made that I haven't gotten to year zero yet with respect to that long-term relationship, and then that gets reflected in how the people look at this. Which I understand completely,' he said.

Mullen, who has visited Afghanistan 10 times, did not disagree with an assessment by Gilles Dorronsoro, a South Asia analyst, saying the Taliban has become more effective and sophisticated in recent years. He said the US has 12 to 18 months 'to start turning this thing around'.

It was crucial to gain the trust of the Afghan people, who have endured 30 years of conflict since the Soviet invasion, he said noting many Afghan citizens and officials have expressed concern that the US will abandon the country again as it did in 1989 after the defeat of the Soviet occupation.