KABUL - John Campbell, the commander in charge of the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan, told a Senate panel on Tuesday that Afghan forces aren't yet ready to fight for themselves.

The commander, who is testifying days after U.S. air strikes hit a Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, also confirmed that he is providing options to President Obama that could keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan longer than 2016, when they are now scheduled to leave.

The hospital strike killed 12 staff members with the charitable group as well as 10 patients, and Doctors without Borders labeled it a war crime. The U.S. said the strike was called in by Afghan forces, underlining concerns about their readiness.

"Afghan security leaders need to discern better when to fight, when to hold and when to assume risk," Campbell told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said President Obama is aware of the "tenuous situation."

Campbell has reportedly drafted five drawdown options, including reducing the 9,800 troops in Afghanistan to 8,000, cutting the force in half or sticking with the president’s plan.

"I do believe we have to provide our senior leadership options different from the current way we’re going," Campbell said. 

He added taht since Obama announced the end of the combat mission in 2014, conditions on the ground have changed. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has risen as a new power, and the Taliban has shown new resiliency in Afghanistan, taking the city of Kunduz last week. Kunduz was also the site of the strike on the hospital.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has asked for coalition forces to stay in the country, Campbell said. (Agencies)