US Ambassador: No Troop Surge In Afghanistan
The United States ambassador to Afghanistan says that America should not increase its troop strength in the war-torn nation, warning that the scandal-plagued administration of President Hamid Karzai is not a suitable “long-term strategic partner.”
Karl Eikenberry, a retired Army general who commanded U.S. forces in the region from 2005-07, issued his concerns during a high-level White House strategy meeting and via two classified diplomatic cables.
The administration of President Barack Obama has been contemplating a “strategy shift” in Afghanistan ever since a military assessment of U.S. operations there (prepared by General Stanley McChrystal) was leaked to journalist Bob Woodward. McChrystal’s memo requested that 30,000-40,000 additional U.S. troops be sent to Afghanistan – which would dramatically increase the current American troop commitment there from its current level of 70,000.
Options include complying with McChrystal’s request or sending a smaller force of 15,000 troops with a primary role of training Afghan soldiers to fight al Qaeda and the Taliban. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden wants American forces to shift their efforts from fighting the Taliban with additional troops to targeting al Queda with isolated special forces actions and Predator drone attacks.
This has been America’s bloodiest year-ever in Afghanistan, with 267 U.S. military fatalities. That’s up from 155 fatalities a year ago and 117 fatalities in 2007. By comparison, there have been 130 American fatalities this year in Iraq, down considerably from a peak of 904 two years ago.
In all, 5,248 American nationals have lost their lives in both conflicts.
Thusfar, the Obama administration has issued imprecise statements regarding the war, which America has been fighting since 2001.
“The President believes that we need to make clear to the Afghan Government that our commitment is not open-ended,” a White House official told reporters Wednesday. “After years of substantial investments by the American people, governance in Afghanistan must improve in a reasonable period of time to ensure a successful transition to our Afghan partner.”
Comments
By Red on November 12th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Why are we still over there at all? Of course the army wants more troops. When have you ever heard of the army wanting less troops?
The best case made for leaving can be found in the resignation letter from our senior civilian representative in Afghansitan, and a former Marine officer, Matthew Hoh. It takes guts and courage to resign over pure principles.
Listen to the people on the ground- not the generals or the war machine or the media who loves wars.
So far, Obama’s policies are looking a lot like the George W. disaster years.
Read his letter and see something that actually makes sense.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21683575/Matthew-Hoh-first-US-official-to-resign-over-Afghan-War
By Brian on November 12th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Notwithstanding where you may fall on the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, next time try to use a picture of an actual American Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine in your article. That’s a picture of a British soldier.
By Huhhh??? on November 12th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Is it just my imagination, or has the killing increased drastically since McCrystal started HIS new strategy in March?
That should be reason enough not to follow his advise for the future.
Is McCrystal part of the C Street group in the Pentagon? All Pentagon, and Congressional, C Streeters need to be identified and their positions on all issues noted. We need to be able to identify when they are following the marching orders of Doug and David Coe or giving legitimate, considered advice, or votes, if they are in Congress.
Millonig, Lt. Col. William (March 15, 2006). “THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL AFFILIATION ON STRATEGIC MILITARY DECISIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS”. Yahoo! Search. U.S. Army War College.
http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=%22international+christian+leadership%22&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-501&u=handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA449308&w=%22international+christian+leadership%22&d=Pr0cnBlMS5BJ&icp=1&.intl=us.
By OnNoNotAgain on November 12th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Here’s our strategy. Go through Afghan mountains to get al Qaida, Osama and any Taliban or anybody who gets in our way.
Get Pakistan to come at it from the other direction with same objective.
If they won’t help, then go through Pakistan mountains to get al Qaida, Osama and any Taliban or anybody who gets in our way.
Once we have gotten them, leave. Leave Karzai and the rest to themselves.
By countryboy on November 12th, 2009 at 10:37 am
First off let me say I am a veteran, a hawk and support our men and women in uniform 100%. However, I think it’s time we step back and take a long hard look at our participation in foreign wars, present and future. The problem I see is, we may never again fight an all out war. We did not get our shorts and panties in a wad in WWII about killing civilians. If soldiers were in a town or village, we just bombed the hell out of the village. Hell we dropped two A bombs on major Japanese cities. The type of wars we are in now and apt to be going forward are such that you can’t distinguish a civilian from a combatant. In Afghanistan civilians in some cases support the Taliban and in other cases are intimidated by them and give support out of fear. As long as we fight we one hand tied behind our back like this, it will be difficult to ever win a war and any we do win will take way longer than wars use to take to win. God knows I am not an Obama supporter but if he were to pull most of our troops out of Afghanistan and fight the Taliban/Al Queda with special forces hit and go tactics and drone attacks, it would not upset me one bit. That whole damn country is not worth the life of one American.
By dirtbogger on November 12th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Bring them home now the reason we are in both wars are based lies spewed by the military industrial complex. You hit the nail on the head Red about Obama and Bush, they are just puppets, the whole right, Left thing is an illusion for people to think the have a choice! For you Obama ball lickers tell me what has Obama done differently than Bush. Dont bother with health care because at the rate the dollar has been devalued by both adminstrations we will have to go with public healthcare unless the american people have a real awakening not the FOX News or CNN type, you will not find out the truth there!
By PasserBy on November 12th, 2009 at 10:51 am
First of all, it doesn’t look like the communcations were very “classified” since I’ve seen this headline more than one place. I’m wondering if the White House didn’t put them out there to back up whatever BO is about to do.
Also, I am of the mind that we should make a decision (whatever it is) on Afghanistan and see it through. Either give enough troops for the Army to win decisively or leave. A half-assed effort on the war isn’t cuttin’ it, IMO. Like him or not, BO is the Commander in Chief, and can pull the Army out if he wants. Dithering is crap, though.
By Just another Joe on November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
OnNoNotAgain
Just to let you know that you are not alone in your thoughs as express above.
By dirtbogger on November 12th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=350
By henry on November 12th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Relax–Obama is voting present, once again! It takes a lot of courage, you know!
By Crooner on November 12th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Our military men and women deserve the best training and equipment money can buy. They also deserve a clear mission and a just cause. Propping up a corrupt Afghan regime does not qualify.
By sid on November 12th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
dirtbogger,
What are the lies that led us to invading Afghanistan?
By dirtbogger on November 12th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
sid, read this intire document and keep in mind it was drawn up prior to
9-11! http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
By dirtbogger on November 12th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
and when you get done with that sid look at this, keep up with the dates.
http://www.ringnebula.com/Oil/Timeline.htm
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/oil.html
By henry on November 12th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Obama is projecting weakness on all fronts. The enemies of America are like sharks smelling blood in the waters.
Obama’s weakness and indecisiveness continues to harm our troops and endangers our children.
Maybe Obama will flip a coin.
Or maybe he just a one-issue guy and wants health care at all costs–foreign policy be darned…
By sid on November 12th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Sorry, but I don’t have time to read conspiracy theory nonsense. Why don’t you just boil it down for me.
By dirtbogger on November 12th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
plans were drawn up to invade before 9-11 that is fact, PNAC said it would take a pearl harber type event to get America to support an invasion of the middle east. All fact but the offical version is the conspiricy theory (19 terroist under Bin Ladin control hyjack 4 planes hit 2 sky scrapers and made 3 fall at the rate of gravity
(hint Building 7), hit the pentagon which is the most heavly defended building in the country on the side where it was closed for renovations (wheres the all the vidieos?)Bush the only time while he was president visiting a school reading to children and the Vice president in charge of the military ordering a stand down regarding the Pentagon. Its just all to damn convienant for me to believe. Now tell me where the damn conspiricy theory is!
By Red on November 12th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Forget the conspiracies and timelines. Here is something everyone can agree on. Osama trained in Afghanistan and attacked us on 9/11/01. We invade Afghanistan and fail to capture or kill him. Osama used Afghanistan like a hotel. He left when we came looking for him. Now a very long expensive 8 years later, we have no clear purpose in Afghanistan. Osama has vanished into thin air. No rational commander in chief would send more troops when we know the enemy has flew the coop. No one can clearly state what our mission is or what a win would look like. The country needs to come together and demand we pull out.
By Ynot on November 12th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Osama has been dead many years. Google it.
Al Queda is not who you have been told they are. Unfortunately, the military should be directed right here in America to get ” Al Queda” which means simply ” the base”.
Doesn’t everyone have a base?
Do they use it thoughtfully or irrationally?
By Read It & Weep (Better yet, read it & research) on November 12th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Anyone who believes a great part of our government is guarding this country with respect to economics & foreign & domestic threats is a fool. It should be apparent by now that some of our biggest threats to America are within our own government.
Can anyone take the time to read about the alarming number of veterans in prison or homeless or the suicide rate amongst veterans?
Can someone take the time to read declassified information online that people were incarcerated or killed for trying to make available to the public?
Veterans are fighting a bigger war at home trying to get medical care & benefits. Many are trying to get their stories & the truth told about what they have seen or been ordered to do duing wartime.
I don’t give a damn what anyone says, a great number of people had best take the time to read it because this country has been looking a helluva lot like Nazi Germany before WWII for quite a few years.
With regard to a great number in our government elected to guard this country, my question is, from Juvenal’s SATIRES, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes”? Don’t know what it means? Look it up. Look up how much of America Saudi Arabia flat-out owns. Look up the amount of our debt to China. Look up the Bush Family’s relationship with Saudi Royalty. Look up why FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to occur. Look up Obama’s past. Look up why our government is giving businesses to foreigners whose countries we are at war with. Look up the Federal Reserve, who they are & what they do. Look up what our own allies are saying about America. Look up what many of our own soldiers are saying about America & our military leaders & policies.
Or don’t. Just don’t sit & complain about the condition America is in or be shocked by the daily horrors you see on the news. Much more is to come if things don’t drastically change soon.
Concerning the article above, bring our soldiers home. No more of them need to die fighting for the power & greed of fools in our government. Why can we not use the technology we have & special forces to get this over with already? Is our government trying to end this war or are they trying to occupy Afganistan?
Furthermore, no one wins in war. Battles are lost & won, but never wars. There are simply intermissions.
As for extremists abroad, we need to be concerned with extremists in America. Fort Hood. The Ariyan Brotherhood. The Black Panthers. A large number of Middle Easterners America grants citizenship to. The list is overwhelming.
By 2 cents on November 12th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Just a few questions here…
Why do we not hear more of what our soldiers have to say about Afghanistan & Iraq?
Why are our soldiers fighting a bigger war at home trying to get medical care or benefits or their perspectives told?
Why do so few politicians serve or not have their kids serving?
Why is our government giving businesses & citizenship to people from countries we’re at war with?
Why are so many veteran’s being put in jail or prison?
Why can’t we use technology or special forces to end these wars?
How would Americans feel if we had a foreign army occupying our land?
Why does America have a prison population over 6 million?
Am I being unpatriotic when I say it seems to me that our government has declared war upon much of its own population?
Why, considering that we elect our government officials & pay their huge salaries, do we tolerate them taking our homes, giving our jobs to foreigners, decide how they will spend our money, dictate so much of our personal lives, & send our loved ones to fight in wars when most of them won’t go fight themselves?
Do we have true freedom, that being able to do what we’re supposed to do, or false freedom, that in which we can do whatever we want, as long as we don’t get caught? Which does our government encourage & live by?
Why do more Americans not research what many label “conspiracy theories”, when people have been incarcerated, tortured, or died trying to make it available to the public?
With respect to our government, who is supposed to guard our civil rights & protect us from foreign & domestic threats, from Juvenal’s SATIRES, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” It is perhaps the most important question of all.
By sid on November 12th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Well, that just gives me a better insight into dirtbogger. Now I know to ignore your posts. I appreciate the timesaver.
By hans on November 13th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Obama ain’t gonna do nuthin until his health bill passes.
He’s pissing on our troops and pissing on our national security.
He’s a socialist and, like Billy Clinton, “loathes” the military.
He’s not gonna let Israel take out Iran, either.