WASHINGTON — The United States has a new Afghan war strategy that will "turn the tide" against the Taliban, but requires more troops to join the eight-year-old conflict, a US senator said Tuesday. "I feel very strongly, having just been there in August, that we see now how to turn the tide in our favor, and in the favor of the Afghan people, and against the Taliban," said independent Senator Joseph Lieberman.
"That requires more personnel -- military and civilian -- and the sooner we do it, the sooner the Afghans will be able to take over themselves and Americans and our allies will come home," he told reporters.
Lieberman said he expected the top US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to ask President Barack Obama to bolster US forces waging the increasingly unpopular campaign.
"The question is, will General McChrystal ask for more troops? I believe the answer is yes, he will," said Lieberman, who predicted "a healthy and important national debate" about the US strategy.
"We're coming to a moment of decision on Afghanistan, another turning point," said Lieberman, who praised Obama's "real decisive leadership" on Afghanistan.
"He believes Afghanistan is the central front of the war on terrorism, it's the place from which we were attacked on 9-11. We can't let the Taliban go back into power there," the Connecticut lawmaker added.
Recent US public opinion polls have found that a narrow majority considers the war not worth fighting, while some of Obama's Democratic allies have ramped up pressure to lay out benchmarks for success or even a withdrawal timetable.
Poster Comment:
what utter BS...