WASHINGTON — Rep. James R. Lanegvin gave a downbeat assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan Monday, saying it would not surprise him “if we had to double” the current commitment of U.S. forces after the completion of an increase in troop strength that President Obama has ordered.

Prospects for Afghanistan are “much less certain in terms of making progress” than they are for Iraq, the Rhode Island Democrat said after touring both nations during last week’s congressional recess. Langevin said he expects U.S. troops to be needed in Afghanistan for at least another decade.

There are currently about 40,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Obama ordered a troop influx soon after taking office which, according to The New York Times, will bring total troop strength to about 68,000.

Langevin said he thinks the situation in Afghanistan has improved since Mr. Obama took office. He repeated his long-standing criticism of the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, which he depicted as having detracted from the war effort in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, Langevin portrayed the mission in Afghanistan as complicated, ambitious, and not assured of success. One major factor, as he described it, is that the United States is attempting to help “build a civilized society” with governmental institutions — such as a national law enforcement and judicial system – that are “foreign” to most people in Afghanistan.

Langevin said that despite some improvements in such nation-building efforts in and around the capital city of Kabul, economic and security conditions are far worse in the northern lands bordering on Pakistan — where al-Qaida and the Taliban both harbor insurgent allies — and in the southern portion of Afghanistan plagued by the opium trade.

Langevin said the allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization need to increase the levels of military and civilian support for the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. Roadside bombs kill 4 U.S. troops

•Two roadside bombs that struck back-to-back and only miles apart hit two U.S. military vehicles in Afghanistan Monday, killing four American troops, U.S. and Afghan officials said. U.S. military officials have predicted a 50-percent spike in IED attacks in Afghanistan this year as militants step up attacks and thousands more troops pour into the country. The deaths bring to 64 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AP count based on military figures. That surpasses the 36 troops killed through the first five months of 2008. (AP)

jmulligan@belo-dc.com