Obama escalates the war in Afghanistan

[30ashopper]

The reason for the deadline is that the US is going to withdraw, but the Afghan troops and NATO troops will stay and increase their presence.

NATO to add 7,000 troops to Afghan effort - Afghanistan- msnbc.com

"BRUSSELS - Some two dozen countries will send an estimated 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan next year, the chief of NATO said Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told her allied counterparts that an infusion of forces is crucial to turning the tide in the long war.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark told reporters at NATO headquarters that at least 25 nations would provide the additional forces in Afghanistan in 2010, "with more to come." And he said the 44 countries now involved are "absolutely united" in their commitment to seeing the eight-year war through to a successful outcome.

There are now about 38,000 non-U.S. foreign troops in Afghanistan, along with some 70,000 U.S. troops. The additional U.S. troops to be sent by Obama and the foreign commitments cited by Fogh Rasmussen would take the overall total to about 145,000 by the end of next year.The Afghan national army now has about 97,000 soldiers and is scheduled to grow to 134,000 by next October."

These troops, as with most non-U.S. and British NATO troops, will do little fighting. They are more a humanitarian force. Which isn't to say more NATO troops is a bad thing. But the U.S. and Britian by in large are the only countries fighting a war.

 

[Kayak Fish]

This is completely predictable and really just a sad statement on the state of this country and its government. Once again there is always plenty of money for killing and corporate hand outs.

Obama may seal his political doom with this decision.

 

[Bob]

Poppy, this makes sense to me.

I worry that the pretext for the surge is the successful surge in Iraq but foreign troops in Afghanistan have not had an easy time of it. Obama inherited this war and undoubtedly he is doing what he thinks best. I hope it works out and then we get our collective behinds out of there.

successful only as long as we are there. the kurds are waiting patiently.