What you posted was someone's opinion of what he wants to do with the additional troops. What I posted was his words.
On Oct 2, 10:09 pm, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hmmmm.... > > http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/01/mideast/military.php > > U.S. general urges troop surge in Afghanistan > > International Herald Tribune, The Associated PressPublished: October > 1, 2008 > > WASHINGTON: The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan said > Wednesday that he needed more troops and other aid "as quickly as > possible" in a counterinsurgency battle that could get worse before it > gets better. > > The commander, General David McKiernan, said it would take more than > adding troops to stabilize Afghanistan, including efforts to > strengthen the government, improve the economy and build its military > and police forces. > > Speaking to Pentagon reporters, McKiernan, the head of NATO forces in > Afghanistan, said there had been a significant increase in foreign > fighters coming in from neighboring Pakistan this year, including > Chechens, Uzbeks, Saudis and Europeans. > > And he said he needed the more than 10,000 additional forces he has > requested, in part, to increase his military campaigns in the south > and east, where violence has escalated. > > "The additional military capabilities that have been asked for are > needed as quickly as possible," he said, adding that he was hoping to > get units that would be able to both fight the insurgents and serve as > trainers for the Afghan National Army and the police. > > McKiernan, who was to meet with President George W. Bush late > Wednesday, said he had been encouraged by recent Pakistani military > operations against insurgents waging cross-border attacks into > Afghanistan. But he also said that it was too soon to tell how > effective they had been. > > McKiernan's comments came after General David Petraeus, who is > preparing to take up his new post as head of the U.S. Central Command, > said in an interview in London this week that he also expected the > fight against the insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan to get worse > before it gets better. > > "Obviously, the trends in Afghanistan have been in the wrong direction > and I think everyone is rightly concerned about them," said Petraeus, > who as the commander of forces in Iraq oversaw the troop escalation > that has been credited as one factor in helping reduce the violence > there. > > Turning things around in Afghanistan and Pakistan would require taking > away militant sanctuaries and strongholds that the insurgents would > defend tenaciously, he said. "Certainly in Afghanistan, wresting > control of certain areas from the Taliban will be very difficult," he > said. > > The same goes for Pakistan, he said, where extremism presents a deadly > threat. "In both places, in certain areas, the going may be tougher > before it gets easier," he said. > > Petraeus was in London and Paris this week as part of several weeks of > information gathering before he takes up his job as commander of all > U.S. forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan on Oct. 31. > > He visited Afghanistan in August and spent a day with the Pakistani > chief of army staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on a U.S. aircraft > carrier in the Arabian Sea as part of his information gathering, he > said. > > American attack in Pakistan? > A suspected U.S. missile strike on a Taliban commander's home in > Pakistan killed six people, Pakistani officials said Wednesday, a > possible indication that Washington was moving ahead with cross-border > raids despite protests from the new government, The Associated Press > reported from Islamabad. > > The attack was the first since President Asif Ali Zardari warned that > Pakistani territory could not "be violated by our friends." > > Late Tuesday, missiles fired by a U.S. drone struck the home near Mir > Ali, a town in North Waziristan, said two intelligence officials, who > spoke on the condition of anonymity. > > On Oct 2, 7:04 pm, SgtUSMC <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Speaking in Washington yesterday, McKiernan described Afghanistan as > > “a far more complex environment than I ever found in Iraq.” The > > country’s mountainous terrain, rural population, poverty, illiteracy, > > 400 major tribal networks and history of civil war all make for unique > > challenges, he said. > > > “The word I don’t use for Afghanistan is ’surge,’ ” McKiernan > > stressed, saying that what is required is a “sustained commitment” to > > a counterinsurgency effort that could last many years and would > > ultimately require a political, not military, solution. > > > McKiernan also said that he doubts that “another facet of the Iraq > > strategy” — the U.S. military’s programs to recruit tribes to oppose > > insurgents — can be duplicated in Afghanistan. “I don’t want the > > military to be engaging the tribes,” said McKiernan. > > > Palin is out of touch- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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