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Title: Peace Prez Fail: U.S. Boosts Afghan Surge
Source:
WSJ
URL Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100 ... .html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStorie
Published: Jan 6, 2011
Author: ADAM ENTOUS And JULIAN E. BARNES
Post Date: 2011-01-06 09:29:00 by randge
Keywords: Afghanistan, Endless War, Hydrocephalic Congress, Pinhead President
Views: 151
Comments: 6
U.S. Boosts Afghan Surge Agence France-Presse/Getty Images U.S. and Afghan soldiers prepared for patrol in Kandahar province on Wednesday. WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to send an additional 1,400 Marine combat forces to Afghanistan, officials said, in a surprise move ahead of the spring fighting season to try to cement tentative security gains before White House-mandated troop reductions begin in July. The Marine battalion could start arriving on the ground as early as mid-January. The forces would mostly be deployed in the south, around Kandahar, where the U.S. has concentrated troops over the past several months. Commanders in Afghanistan and advocates of the strategy in Washington say temporarily adding front-line forces could help counter an anticipated spring offensive by Taliban militants returning from havens in neighboring Pakistan. Commanders are examining other proposals to temporarily boost the number of combat troops in Afghanistan in addition to the Marines authorized Wednesday. If the plans are approved, the front-line fighting force could be increased in total by as many as 3,000 troops. U.S. commanders in Afghanistan face intense pressure to show sustainable security gains in the first half of 2011. Military officials fear an upswing in attacks by the Taliban in the spring could convince the White House that the Pentagon's war strategy is flawed and that the troop pullout—the details of which have yet to be ironed out—should be accelerated. [AFSURGE] President Barack Obama last month said the war strategy was on the right track, but voiced caution about sustaining the gains for the longer-term. "The rationale is to take advantage of the gains we have made over the last several months and apply more pressure on the enemy at a time when he is already under the gun," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. Some Democrats in Congress are likely to question the decision to boost U.S. combat strength, even temporarily, at a time when the U.S. and its allies are preparing withdrawals, a senior congressional aide said. No congressional approval would be required for the new boost in combat troops, but congressional support is important for Pentagon leaders and commanders who want lawmakers to stand by the strategy. The additional Marine deployment could push the total surge troops in Afghanistan beyond the 30,000 announced by Mr. Obama in December 2009. At the time, Mr. Obama gave Mr. Gates authority to add an extra 10%—or 3,000 more troops—to respond to unforeseen contingencies. The Pentagon initially said it intended to use the 10% reserve to rush support units, such as medical or roadside bomb-removal teams, into the war zone if needed. The reserve has, however, been tapped to fill other military needs, including trainers for Afghan security forces. Officials estimate that up to 2,000 of the 3,000 reserve slots have been deployed, but the numbers fluctuate frequently. Poster Comment: Cyni asked someone to post this. I can't ever imagine why or what good it will do. Yer butting your head against the wall thinking that any amount of discussion will do the slightest good in deflecting this government from its pigheaded objectives. War. It's what we're good at. We've proven that you don't have to win to be good at it. It's our one great contribution to military science.
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