USMC Lt. Gen. Richard Mills speaks during a ceremony in Avondale, La., July 28, 2012.
The US military has been conducting cyber-attacks against its perceived opponents in Afghanistan, according to one of its generals.
Marine Corps Lieutenant General Richard Mills made the unusually explicit acknowledgment at a conference in Baltimore last week, The Associated Press reported on Friday.
Mills was in command of US-led foreign forces in southwestern Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011.
At the conference, he explained how US commanders regard cyber weapons as an important part of their arsenal.
“I can tell you that as a commander in Afghanistan in the year 2010, I was able to use my cyber operations against my adversary with great impact,” he said.
“I was able to get inside his nets, infect his command-and-control, and in fact defend myself against his almost constant incursions to get inside my wire, to affect my operations,” he added.
There’s been no immediate comment so far from the Pentagon on Mills' speech.
The US has been accused of conducting cyber warfare in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
A recent book by New York Times reporter David Sanger recounts how US President Barack Obama ordered a wave of electronic incursions to sabotage Iran's nuclear energy program.
The US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of about 130,000 of US-led troops.
