 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Obama to unveil Afghan strategy Friday: White House
Washington (AFP) March 26, 2009 President Barack Obama on Friday will unveil a new US strategy for the war in Afghanistan designed to turn the tide against a growing insurgency, the White House said. As Obama briefed lawmakers on his plan Thursday, defense officials said the president was planning to send an additional 4,000 troops to train Afghan security forces later this year. The move to deploy an extra brigade follows Obama's decision last month to send in 17,000 reinforcements to take on insurgents challenging the Kabul government in the south and east of the country. "The president is making calls and briefing members of Congress based on the conclusion of that review, that the president will announce tomorrow at the White House," spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news conference Thursday. The strategy is expected to rely on more US boots on the ground, expanding Kabul's security forces, wooing "moderate" insurgents, stepping up civilian aid efforts and a diplomatic push focused on Pakistan's role. Obama over the weekend said it was crucial to set out an approach that would allow the United States to eventually leave the country, after more than seven years of war. "There's got to be an exit strategy," Obama told CBS television's "60 Minutes" program. "There's got to be a sense that this is not a perpetual drift." Outlines of the blueprint have emerged in recent weeks, including plans to bolster development projects and tackle insurgent havens across the border in Pakistan. Officials said the strategy would likely bring no major surprises when it is announced on Friday. "Separate elements of this have already been discussed in other public forums," a US defense official told AFP. The "civilian surge" planned by the administration would involve hundreds of experts to help with agricultural, administrative and other development projects designed to improve local and regional government, officials said. Even before the strategy review was finished, Obama approved reinforcements of 17,000 to join the 38,000-strong US force along with other NATO troops. An additional brigade of 4,000 will arrive later to help with the recruitment and training of a larger Afghan army and police force, which the administration is betting will one day take over security duties. Compared to December, US troops levels are set to double by the end of the summer, Pentagon officials said. The day before the president was to present his strategy, his pick to be ambassador to Kabul warned that the new approach in Afghanistan would fail unless Pakistan cracks down on Islamist extremists. "We can succeed in Afghanistan, it's true, but if we don't address the problem, the linked problems in Pakistan, then we'll have no lasting success," Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links News From Across The Stans
Pakistan spy agency funnels cash to Afghan militants: report
Washington (AFP) March 26, 2009Operatives in Pakistan's military intelligence agency provide cash, supplies and strategic advice to militants in Afghanistan where the United States is fighting a resurgent Taliban, the New York Times said Thursday. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook