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Obama to Boost Forces in Afghanistan, Set Benchmarks
2009-03-27
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama plans to send 4,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to train local forces and set benchmarks for progress in battling militants there and in Pakistan, administration officials said. The president's new strategy for turning the corner in the eight-year-old war, to be announced today, comes amid increased insurgent activity and before Afghanistan's presidential and provincial elections scheduled for Aug. 20. The head of the British Army is ready to send a further 2,000 troops, the London-based Times said. Obama also would support legislation to triple economic aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year in exchange for that country cracking down on Taliban and terrorists hiding out along border, said the officials, who briefed reporters last night. Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden are in Pakistan and plotting new attacks against the U.S. and its allies, they said. The goal is to weaken and ultimately destroy al-Qaeda's havens and sanctuaries in Pakistan and prevent the terrorist group from returning across the border to Afghanistan, the officials said. The administration began outlining the new strategy for members of Congress yesterday. Obama also will be discussing it with other leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization when he meets with them for a summit April 3-4 on the French- German border. The administration has been pressing the allies to shoulder more responsibility in Afghanistan. Troop Commitments Officials yesterday said they expect some countries to announce additional troop commitments at the upcoming NATO meeting. They said France, in particular, wants to play a larger role in helping with police efforts. The U.K. increase would take the number of British troops to about 10,000. The U.K. contingent would be drawn from 12 Mechanised Brigade, General Richard Dannatt told the Times. The 4,000 extra U.S. troops, which are in addition to the 17,000 military personnel Obama already has ordered to the country, will prepare Afghan forces to take a bigger role. All the extra troops are scheduled to be in the country by fall. “They are going to stress training the Afghans,” House Defense Appropriations subcommittee Chairman John Murtha said after a briefing by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In all, including additional forces ordered by former President George W. Bush, more than 30,000 new troops will be deployed this year, the officials said. Higher Deployment Costs The administration officials didn't give an estimate for how much the new plan would cost in full. The almost $2 billion a month currently going toward Afghanistan would probably increase about 60 percent for military operations there alone, they said. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said the goals of the strategy are “realistic.” He described them as: “Train the Afghans and then get the hell out of there.” The new U.S. approach also includes strengthening Pakistan through more aid, as proposed by Senators John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican. Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said parts of Obama's plan “are very constructive and positive,” citing the need to get trainers into the country. He said he's still concerned about terrorist bases in Pakistan. The U.S. faces a difficult challenge with Pakistan because of a 60-year history of starting to help the nation, only to abandon it later, the officials said. The administration will have to work to gain Pakistan's trust, they said. Diplomatic Efforts The administration plans stepped up diplomacy in the region, as well. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Iran's planned participation next week in an international conference on Afghanistan. Iran “has a role to play in the region, and we hope it will be a constructive role,” Clinton said yesterday in Mexico. In addition, Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, will lead meetings with Afghans and the Pakistanis every six to eight weeks, the officials said. The administration intends to reach out to all parties with a stake in Afghanistan and trying to stem the al-Qaeda threat, including, China, India, Russia and allies in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, the officials said. Obama called both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to brief them on the strategy, they said. Afghan Government Along with increased funds to Pakistan, the plan includes boosting development efforts in Afghanistan to bolster the U.S.- backed government “The economic-development piece is a big part of it,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said. Obama “hopefully will put pressure on NATO allies to come through with what they have already committed -- money and trainers.” Levin said the Afghans need to “take responsibility for their own security much more quickly” and understand the importance of “keeping al-Qaeda on the run.” The officials didn't describe the precise benchmarks to measure progress in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are intended as markers for the American public to determine whether the strategy is working. While they said there's no specific timeline linked to the plan, the U.S. should have a sense of progress being made late this year. Some lawmakers raised concerns about the plan. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said the 4,000 trainers along with the 17,000 combat troops would bring U.S. forces in the war-torn country to more than 60,000. U.S. 'Major' Commitment “That's a major commitment to troops,” Feinstein said in an interview after attending a briefing on the strategy. “This is without any debate in Congress.” There were about 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 38,000 in Afghanistan, as of March 6, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman said. For now, Obama isn't boosting the U.S. combat contingent beyond the 17,000-personnel deployment already announced. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General David McKiernan, has said those forces will likely be needed for at least three years and that as many as 10,000 more troops may be required later. Afghanistan will be a prime topic at the NATO summit. After meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer March 25 at the White House, Obama said that he wants to come out of the summit with the U.S. and NATO being “even more effective in coordinating our efforts in Afghanistan.” De Hoop Scheffer said Afghanistan is NATO's “most important operational priority.” Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, a former top commander in Afghanistan now tapped to become the next U.S. ambassador in Kabul, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday that the military and civilian campaign in Afghanistan has been shortchanged. America and its allies will have to expend “more resources and sacrifice” to win the battle decisively, he said. “Success would be defined then as an Afghan state strong enough to not become an open safe haven for international terrorism,” Eikenberry said. To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net ; Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net
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