WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering some 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan, starting in early 2010.
In his highly anticipated speech on his new war strategy, President Obama said the United States did not “ask for this fight,” saying that the war started in response to the al-Qaida terror attacks that killed nearly three-thousand people.
He said the terror group’s base of operations was in Afghanistan, and members of the terrorist network were harbored by the Taliban, which he described as a “ruthless, repressive and radical movement.”
He said the Taliban was driven from power and “pushed back on its heels” after the United States invaded the country in October 2001. But he said the Iraq war, which began in March 2003, drew the dominant share of troops, resources, diplomacy and national attention.
Mr. Obama says U.S. troops in Afghanistan will focus on targeting the insurgency, securing key population centers and increasing the training of Afghan security forces.
The president says he has asked U.S. allies to contribute additional troops and resources in the days and weeks ahead. Mr. Obama says what is at stake in the war is not only NATO’s credibility, but the common security of the world.
President Obama says that while the United States will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan’s security forces to ensure their long-term success, ultimately the Afghan people and their government are responsible for their country.
The additional American forces will bring the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to about 100,000.
Senior administration officials say all the forces will be in place in about six months.
The Obama administration is struggling to counter declining U.S. public support and rising casualties in the eight-year war against Taliban and al-Qaida militants.
In his address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, President Obama outlined ways the Afghan government can address corruption and poor governance.
Mr. Obama also sought to reassure Afghans worried about a long-term U.S. presence in their country, saying the United States has “no interest” in occupying the country. He says America seeks “an end to this era of war and suffering.”
He rejected political criticisms that he took too long to decide how to move forward in Afghanistan, saying his three-month review of war strategy allowed him to ask “hard questions” and explore options.
The president said after that review, he determined it is in the “vital national interest” to send an additional 30,000 troops. After 18 months, he says they can begin coming home.
The White House says Mr. Obama emphasized in a video teleconference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the U.S. and international commitment in Afghanistan is not open-ended.
In the approximately hour-long video teleconference late Monday Washington time, Mr. Obama also “underscored the need for more rapid development” of Afghan forces so the country can assume greater security responsibilities.
The White House says the president spoke by telephone Tuesday with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on the “way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Tuesday’s announcement follows months of deliberations by President Obama and his national security team.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to Brussels next week to speak with her NATO counterparts about the war strategy. Diplomats say Washington is asking its international partners for up to 10,000 more troops.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday Berlin is not ready to contribute more troops to the war. She said Germany will make a decision after an international conference on Afghanistan next month in London.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged 500 more troops, adding to the 9,500 British forces already in Afghanistan.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin says his country is not likely to contribute any more troops to the war.
Source: VOA News
