America's top commander in Afghanistan says the U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan is turning the tide against the Taliban.

In an interview with ABC News, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he believes the troop surge is blunting the Taliban's momentum.

A recent poll suggests that nearly seven in ten Afghans support the presence of U.S. forces in the country. Sixty-one percent favor the military build-up.

However, support for the U.S. and NATO forces dropped sharply in the south and east where the fighting is most intense.

McChrystal says while progress is being made, the mission is not yet complete.

"I believe that we have changed the way we operate in Afghanistan," he explained. "We changed some of our structures. I believe we are on the way to convincing the Afghan people that we are here to protect them."

Meanwhile, President Obama is sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the number of U.S. troops in the region to 98,000.