Jason

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will decide on new troops for Afghanistan in "the coming weeks."

He told reporters that decisions on the military front were important but just one aspect of the improvements needed to the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. He said an important element is building up civilian capacity to help improve Afghanistan's governance, agriculture, rule of law and other areas.

The president responded during a briefing meeting with reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Later, spokesman Robert Gibbs rejected a published report that the president had authorized 13,000 additional troops that were now arriving in Afghanistan. He said those troops were part of a deployment ordered by the former Bush administration, but had not made their way to the Afghan theater by the time Obama became president. The Washington Post had reported those forces were authorized by Obama.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...GurhgD9BACP300

Tsona

how many more us troops need to die before the potus realises were spread too thin over there?

Canaanabolaanan

Hopefully it's less than what's listed in blue here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US...with_Surge.jpg

And with any luck, it's 0.

Canaanabolaanan

Perhaps this scenario reveals a bit about why this is more than just a snap decision:
http://politicalwire.com/archives/20..._long_war.html

Mcninjaguy

This is hard for just one country to do, The US should be getting more help from other nations too. There is just not enough of a commitment there.

Tsona

What makes you think anyone is asking for a "snap decision". BHO's appointed MILITARY GENERAL who's only task is to oversee the military commitment, ie: in afganistan and Make decision's on the outcome of the war, prepare reports and advise the president on what is needed. When he does this the president who apointed him still needs more time to make a decision? maybe if he was reading the reports when given to him he would be ready to make decisions like this when they come up without takeing weeks and wasting valuable time. Time that some US soldiers dont have.

MichaelTech

Hmmm... "Time that some US soldiers dont have". I think that these American citizens deserve a bit more than time. Like time to be with family, have a life.
We do not need to even be in the stinking middle east for any reason.
Let them kill themselves off! It's what they do, for a long time.
All these "decisions" are about monetary allocations. Feed the machine. The grist of human bones shall lubricate the wheels of military might. Shock and Awe my ***.
Deciding the "outcome" of war, and actually doing it, is the problem here.

simpswr

Mission Accomplished!!!!

Airman47

President Karzai stole the election in Afghanistan, and until that get resolved President Obama has made it clear that we will not commit to troops or even to staying in Afghanistan until that problem is resolved. That's why his decision is taking so long.

I'm a veteran and don't want to see young people of any nation die, but we must remember that this is where 911 was spawned, not by the Afghanis but by the terrorists that the Taliban embraced. Should we withdraw and go through it all again in another few years? Many of our European partners are prepared to join the fight, apparently because they understand the danger.

That some general wants to send in a million troops or whatever is irrelevant. He's not in charge; that man in the White House --- the man we elected as our leader --- is by law and by custom, and he's doing exactly what a president should do: he's trying to decide whether "staying the course" will be worth more bloodshed.

blackbeagle

The reason why no one is helping because they know it's the wrong thing to do. THere's no way they would commit to any troops because it would be a national outrage in every country that participateed. THere would be millions of protesters if other countries protest. It's not a world war on terror. It's our war on terror, created by OUR politicians. We are the only ones to stand to gain from this war.

Canaanabolaanan

Hmm, I didn't realize that all terrorists have signed and will obey a truce with all other nations. How unlucky of us.

Mcninjaguy

I guees Terrorism like 9/11 doesn't exist to you and the continuing advancement of Shariah law with its cruel and unusual way of treating the human race?

Some far left wing protests need to ignored others paid attention too. Although going to far off countries and doing war is not always the right. The countries involved do not fight indiscriminately. To keep our land safe sometimes we must attack those who do wrong far off.

Engineer Babar

Good blckeagle

Blackeagle is right.. Attacks were carried out on America?? Why the whole world is fighting in Afghanistan?? And loosing the war day by day.. how many areas are there which are completely controlled by the nato forces??

I doubt only 25%... Oh noooooooooooo

Engineer Babar

And I guess Terrorism like killing innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kashmir, Palestine doesn't exist to you.. yeah killing innocent Muslims in these areas.. What have they done?? Why are they bombarded??

simpswr

Like this?:

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/Gener...=B1&Id=1107745

blackbeagle

I would ask that people forget what Fox News has told them or what Bush/Obama has told them about the war on Terror. Forget it for a second what the media has sold you on the war in Iraq/Afghanistan.

Go Google PNAC (Project for a New AMerican Century). It's a Neo-Conservative think tank group started in the middle 90s. Members include Bush/Cheney/Rumsveld/Wolfowitz. In 2000 they wrote a document entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses". Some even compared this document to Mein Kampf. That is how eery it is.

The document itself is a must read. It spells out what America needs to do in the 21st Century. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a vacuum has been created. There was an opportunity that these guys saw that had to be taken advantage of. They saw a world which the US was the preeminent power. There would be no other countries that would challenge the supremacy of the US, not even militarily.

One of the goals (there were many) was to secure the worlds most vast resources (in the Middle East and Western Asia). Military bases had to be set up in key strategic locations around the world. They called it 'spreading Democracy' world wide.

The interesting part of this document is where they quote,

"Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor..."

Well in 2001, they got their wish. Everything that has occurred since, including the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and setting military bases in these key locations (like they wanted), has happened because of 9/11.

Wake up and please smell the coffee people.......