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Title: U.S. and allies review Afghanistan war as attacks soar
Source:
Yahoo News
URL Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071217/pl_nm/afghan_usa_review_dc
Published: Dec 17, 2007
Author: Kristin Roberts
Post Date: 2007-12-17 17:49:57 by richard9151
Keywords: None
Views: 53
Comments: 2
Mon Dec 17, 2:27 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Faced with a strengthened Taliban and signs al Qaeda is regrouping in its former stronghold, the United States and NATO are conducting a wide-ranging review of operations in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Monday. The reviews touch on all areas of the U.S. and NATO missions, including counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics operations, U.S. officials said. One of the reviews is being conducted by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. But some officials warned against comparing these reviews to last year's comprehensive U.S. military review of the Iraq war. That study led to a surge of 30,000 U.S. troops that has been credited with driving violence lower. "There are reviews under way, as I understand it, that the British are looking at, that the Canadians are considering, and we are doing our ongoing assessment, as well," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "As to the scope and scale of the Iraq review that we did last winter, I think that -- I would not describe it (the Afghanistan review) that way, no," she said. The New York Times first reported the Afghanistan reviews. Insurgent violence is at its highest level in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban after the September 11, 2001, attacks against the United States. Suicide bombings, for example, have climbed 30 percent in some areas, according to U.S. military officers. The U.S. military has also said it sees signs al Qaeda is returning to Afghanistan after facing defeat in parts of Iraq. Still, NATO commanders face long-standing shortfalls in troops, equipment and trainers for the Afghan security forces. The United States has repeatedly urged NATO allies to dedicate more resources to the fight or risk losing gains. The Pentagon has 26,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, with about half of those troops under NATO's 40,000-strong force. Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States would take the lead in drafting a three- to five-year plan for Afghanistan outlining how reconstruction and development could be combined with better security. That led to the review being conducted by Central Command, he said. "He (Gates) challenged, encouraged NATO to take a longer-range view of Afghanistan, to come up with a longer-range strategic strategy and vision for Afghanistan," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. "As a result of that, I think CENTCOM would tell you they're reviewing their own Afghanistan plans." Washington is unlikely to make a big increase to its combat force in Afghanistan because it does not have troops ready and available. The Army and Marine Corps have been strained by Iraq, where the Pentagon has 160,000 troops. Oops. Reading between the lines, I guess this means we is losing..... again.
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