Putting Stamp on Afghan War, Obama Will Send 17,000 Troops »
Posted By tehranchik 9 months, 1 week ago in Political NewsPresident Obama said Tuesday that he would send an additional 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer, putting his stamp firmly on a war that he has long complained is going in the wrong direction.
Afghan Civilian Deaths Rose 40 Percent in 2008 (February 18, 2009)
The order will add nearly 50 percent to the 36,000 American troops already there. A further decision on sending more troops will come after the administration completes a broader review of Afghanistan policy, White House officials said.
Mr. Obama said in a written statement that the increase was “necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires.”
At least for now, Mr. Obama’s decision gives American commanders in Afghanistan most but not all of the troops they had asked for. But the decision also carries political risk for a president who will be sending more troops to Afghanistan before he has begun to fulfill a promised rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Many experts worry that Afghanistan presents an even more formidable challenge for the United States than Iraq does, particularly with neighboring Pakistan providing sanctuary for insurgents of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Read Full Story at nytimes.com »
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tehranchik
Well, I'm from and live in the Pacific Northwest. I did live in the middle east during the late 70's and early 80 ...
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hyperbola9 months, 1 week ago
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Well, I have been reading the spanish press to see what they think about more troops, spanish or american.
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First result is that the spanish find that US troops make more trouble than help in the region where the spanish troops operate. Indeed, they say that the over reliance of the US military on indiscriminate attacks (especially from the air) has undermined spanish attempts to build afghan support and has resulted in increased resistance and attacks on spanish and italian troops in the region. The consequence is that despite an initial sentiment in favor of helping Obama via increasing spanish involvement in Afghanistan, they have now decided that no more troops will be sent. -
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