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| Afghanistan |
| Obama OKs about 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan |
| 2009-02-17 |
| WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has approved adding about 17,000 U.S. troops for the flagging war in Afghanistan, administration, defense and congressional officials said Tuesday. The Obama administration is expected to announce on Tuesday that it will send one additional Army brigade and an unknown number of Marines to Afghanistan this spring and summer. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement. About 8,000 Marines are expected to go in first, followed by about 9,000 Army troops. The new forces represent the first installment on a larger influx of U.S. forces widely expected this year. Obama's decision would get several thousand troops in place in time for the increase in fighting that usually comes with warmer weather and ahead of national elections in August. The additional forces partly answer a standing request from the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, who has sought as many as 30,000 additional U.S. forces to counter the resurgence of the Taliban militants and protect Afghan civilians. The United States has slightly more than 30,000 troops in Afghanistan now. The new units are a Marine Expeditionary Brigade unit from Camp Lejeune, N.C., and an Army Stryker brigade from Fort Lewis in Washington state. Ahead of his first foreign trip, Obama told a Canadian news organization that the United States will seek a more comprehensive, diplomatic approach to Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been engaged in war since 2001. "I am absolutely convinced that you cannot solve the problem of Afghanistan, the Taliban, the spread of extremism in that region solely through military means," the president said in a White House interview with Toronto-based Canadian Broadcasting Corp. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #7 Related issue, eltoroverde: whatever the number of troops on the ground, can we keep them supplied? The route through Pakistan is subject to disruption whenever belligerent locals along the way feel the need for a bribe or exercise, the route through Russia is subject to disruption whenever they feel the need for a bribe or ego stroke, and idea of shipping through Iran is utterly absurd. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-17 23:55 |
| #6 I have a question for the Rantburgers who know far more about these military matters than myself: Putting aside the significant political challenges Afghanistan faces and given the current security situation on the ground, is 17,000 more troops enough to establish any semblance of law & order, or at least keep the inmates from taking over the asylum? My gut tells me it's not enough. If so, and as someone who's not ready to give up and turn my back on the place just yet, this really pisses me off. Mainly because if 17k is nothing more than a half-ass attempt (as others have pointed out and I'm inclined to believe) then this is nothing but an empty gesture on 0's part. A gesture which says "I'm not seriously committed to success in so much as we can define it vis-a-vis Iraq. I'm only committed to covering my ass when things don't go well over there." It's nothing but the bare-ass minimum and he has to know it. The outrage of it all is that he's playing CYA with the lives and well-being of American boots on the ground. I pray that's not the case. I hope that 17k more troops represents a serious commitment to victory and not some half-ass effort so he can say, "see, I tried." Sadly, I've been given little reason to believe that's the case. |
| Posted by: eltoroverde 2009-02-17 23:29 |
| #5 "All hat, no saddle" - i.e., he looks the part, but has the clumsiness of a mule in dancing shoes. He can campaign, but he can't govern. He's never before been forced to make a serious decision. We're in for a very long four years. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-02-17 21:45 |
| #4 This is actually a setback, he's sworn to bring the troops home, now he proves it's just another lie to get elected. |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-02-17 19:54 |
| #3 The wheels were turning for this before Bambi became president. Now if Bambi had a strong core (hah) he might have had a new policy in place ready to go, but of course he's hemming and hawing. I'm not sure Afghanistan can be saved. I'm not sure pouring more American troops into the place will save it. Bambi is beginning to look like LBJ, not Carter. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-02-17 18:29 |
| #2 seek a more comprehensive, diplomatic approach to Afghanistan Diplocode for doing a deal with Iran. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2009-02-17 17:57 |
| #1 i guess this is a sign of how he will do things. HALFASS |
| Posted by: rabid whitetail 2009-02-17 17:30 |