Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Philadelphia Inquirer
February 10, 2007
Targeted to repel Taliban attacks in the spring, the effort using thousands more troops will last longer, a U.S. official said.
By Robert Burns, Associated Press
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - The Pentagon plans to extend its buildup of several thousand combat troops in Afghanistan, initially announced as lasting until late spring, well into next year, a senior U.S. military official said yesterday.
The move comes as U.S. and allied commanders anticipate a renewed offensive this spring by the Taliban, and as they seek additional reinforcements from NATO countries. The effort to bolster forces there so far has brought only limited success, with a few nations promising handfuls of additional troops and equipment.
The extension of the U.S. buildup means that American troop levels in Afghanistan, which were increased this month to about 26,000 - the highest of the war - will remain roughly the same until at least spring 2008. Until now, a level through much of last year had been 22,000 to 23,000.
The decision, expected to be announced in Washington as early as next week, entails sending an Army combat brigade to replace the Third Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division when it leaves this spring.
Without the replacement of that brigade, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would have receded to the lower level. That is because the United States has had extra troops in the country since earlier this month, when a brigade of the 82d Airborne Division arrived.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced, declined to identify the replacement brigade. There are about 3,500 soldiers in a brigade.
The move comes as the United States is also adding 21,500 troops to its forces in Iraq, which totaled about 130,000 before that buildup started.
While President Bush's troop increase in Iraq has aroused widespread public and congressional opposition, there has been little dissent over efforts to intensify U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Both conflicts are continuing to put severe strains on a military that is constantly scrambling to find fresh troops and equipment to send to the war zones.
The increase in the U.S. force in Afghanistan comes as NATO's new top commander, Gen. John Craddock, is seeking 1,500 to 2,000 extra combat troops for the campaign, plus about 800 more from the British.
Decisions about adjusting U.S. troop levels next year will depend in part on whether the United States' NATO partners send all the combat and support forces they have promised.
About 15,000 of the American troops in Afghanistan are serving in the NATO-led force, which now totals about 36,000. The others are special-operations forces or are training Afghan troops.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been getting a lukewarm response at a NATO meeting in Seville, Spain, to his plea for European allies to send more troops and aid for a spring offensive in Afghanistan.
U.S. and NATO military leaders in recent months have repeatedly called on alliance members to send reinforcements and lift restrictions on where their troops can serve. On Thursday, Gates secured small offers from some nations, but he met resistance from key allies.
France and Germany are questioning the wisdom of sending more soldiers; Spain, Italy and Turkey have also been wary of providing more troops.
"When the Russians were in Afghanistan, they had 100,000 soldiers there and they did not win," German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told reporters.
Gates said that after nearly five years of war with the Taliban, this spring will be critical because it could give the people of the country more hope.
"Each spring for the last several years, the Taliban have been more aggressive and there has been an increasing level of violence," he said. "There is a consensus on the part of the ministers that it is important that this year we knock the Taliban back."
February 10, 2007
Targeted to repel Taliban attacks in the spring, the effort using thousands more troops will last longer, a U.S. official said.
By Robert Burns, Associated Press
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - The Pentagon plans to extend its buildup of several thousand combat troops in Afghanistan, initially announced as lasting until late spring, well into next year, a senior U.S. military official said yesterday.
The move comes as U.S. and allied commanders anticipate a renewed offensive this spring by the Taliban, and as they seek additional reinforcements from NATO countries. The effort to bolster forces there so far has brought only limited success, with a few nations promising handfuls of additional troops and equipment.
The extension of the U.S. buildup means that American troop levels in Afghanistan, which were increased this month to about 26,000 - the highest of the war - will remain roughly the same until at least spring 2008. Until now, a level through much of last year had been 22,000 to 23,000.
The decision, expected to be announced in Washington as early as next week, entails sending an Army combat brigade to replace the Third Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division when it leaves this spring.
Without the replacement of that brigade, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would have receded to the lower level. That is because the United States has had extra troops in the country since earlier this month, when a brigade of the 82d Airborne Division arrived.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced, declined to identify the replacement brigade. There are about 3,500 soldiers in a brigade.
The move comes as the United States is also adding 21,500 troops to its forces in Iraq, which totaled about 130,000 before that buildup started.
While President Bush's troop increase in Iraq has aroused widespread public and congressional opposition, there has been little dissent over efforts to intensify U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Both conflicts are continuing to put severe strains on a military that is constantly scrambling to find fresh troops and equipment to send to the war zones.
The increase in the U.S. force in Afghanistan comes as NATO's new top commander, Gen. John Craddock, is seeking 1,500 to 2,000 extra combat troops for the campaign, plus about 800 more from the British.
Decisions about adjusting U.S. troop levels next year will depend in part on whether the United States' NATO partners send all the combat and support forces they have promised.
About 15,000 of the American troops in Afghanistan are serving in the NATO-led force, which now totals about 36,000. The others are special-operations forces or are training Afghan troops.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been getting a lukewarm response at a NATO meeting in Seville, Spain, to his plea for European allies to send more troops and aid for a spring offensive in Afghanistan.
U.S. and NATO military leaders in recent months have repeatedly called on alliance members to send reinforcements and lift restrictions on where their troops can serve. On Thursday, Gates secured small offers from some nations, but he met resistance from key allies.
France and Germany are questioning the wisdom of sending more soldiers; Spain, Italy and Turkey have also been wary of providing more troops.
"When the Russians were in Afghanistan, they had 100,000 soldiers there and they did not win," German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told reporters.
Gates said that after nearly five years of war with the Taliban, this spring will be critical because it could give the people of the country more hope.
"Each spring for the last several years, the Taliban have been more aggressive and there has been an increasing level of violence," he said. "There is a consensus on the part of the ministers that it is important that this year we knock the Taliban back."