Obama sends 30,000 troops to Afghanistan
US: US President Barack Obama Tuesday announced he was pouring
30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, vowing to “seize the initiative” to
end the unpopular war and start a pullout in July 2011.
In a major speech unveiling a new fast-track war strategy, Obama
pledged for the first time that American forces would start coming home
in 19 months, as he groped for an exit from a conflict many backers see
as a Vietnam-style quagmire.
“Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years, it has moved
backwards,” Obama said, placing a bet that more forces could defeat
Al-Qaeda, crush a resurgent Taliban, and pave the way for a withdrawal.
The speech, before young cadets at the US Military Academy at West
Point who will fight Obama’s war, marked his biggest test yet as
President, and best opportunity to redefine the conflict.
But while he set a date for the start of a US withdrawal from
Afghanistan, he stopped short of establishing a deadline to complete the
mission launched more than eight years ago in the wake of the September
11, 2001 attacks.
“As commander in chief, I have determined that it is in our vital
national interests to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan,”
Obama said.
“After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home,” he said,
seeking to reassure Americans the new plan would not signal a war
without end, and rejecting the comparison with Vietnam as a “false
reading of history.”
The first US Marines could be in place by Christmas, just four months
after war commander General Stanley McChrystal warned the war could be
lost without more manpower. All the new troops will be fighting within
six months.
McChrystal hailed the new strategy, saying it had provided him “with
a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task.”
“The clarity, commitment and resolve outlined in the president’s
address are critical steps toward bringing security to Afghanistan and
eliminating terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global
security,” he said.
Obama also cranked up pressure on NATO allies for more troops, saying
they were also threatened by Afghan-based terrorism. Following an
exhaustive strategy review, Obama rolled out new political approaches to
Afghanistan and Pakistan and vowed to chase down Al-Qaeda wherever it
emerged. WEST POINT, Wednesday, AFP |
