Obama OKs 'more troops' in Afghanistan
US: US President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that he has
approved a plan to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
"The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan demands urgent attention
and swift action," Obama said in a newly-released statement. "To meet
urgent security needs, I approved a request from Secretary (Robert)
Gates to deploy a Marine Expeditionary Brigade later this spring and an
Army Stryker Brigade and the enabling forces necessary to support them
later this summer," said the president.
On the Afghan security situation, Obama said that "Taliban is
resurgent in Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda supports the insurgency and
threatens America from its safe-haven along the Pakistani border."
"This (troop) increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating
situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic
attention, direction and resources it urgently requires, " he said.
However, Obama did not disclose the exact number of the additional
troops to be sent to Afghanistan, or the time of the deployment.
Pentagon officials said earlier in the day that there would be a
"significant troop increase." Some USmedia reported that the coming
military buildup in Afghanistan would involve over 12,000 additional
troops. It was the first major military deployment decision the Obama
administration has made since it came into power in January.
Obama noted in the statement that the troop increase "does not
pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review," but will further
enable the country to "put together a comprehensive strategy that will
employ all elements of our national power to fulfill achievable goals in
Afghanistan."
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Xinhua
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