Obama approves 13,000 more troops

WASHINGTON (AFP) – In an unannounced move, President Barack Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 US troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced publicly in March, The Washington Post reported.

The additional forces are primarily support forces -- such as engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police -- the Post said, bringing the total buildup Obama has approved for the war-torn nation to 34,000.

"Obama authorized the whole thing. The only thing you saw announced in a press release was the 21,000," a defense official familiar with the troop-approval process told the daily.

The report, posted on the newspaper's website late Monday, came as Obama weighs a request from the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for more combat, training and support troops, with several options including one for 40,000 more forces.

But the newspaper noted that the maximum number of US service members expected in Afghanistan by year's end -- 68,000 -- would remain the same.

Major deployments of support troops have not been publicized by the Pentagon and the White House in the past. When former president George W. Bush announced a US troop increase in Iraq, he only mentioned 20,000 combat troops and not the accompanying 8,000 support troops.

The troop increase approved by Obama brought the level of US forces deployed in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters to a total greater than during the peak of the surge in Iraq in late 2007 and early 2008.

At the start of this month, some 65,000 US forces are currently in Afghanistan and about 124,000 in Iraq, compared to around 26,000 US troops in Afghanistan and 160,000 in Iraq at the height of the Iraq surge, according to a troop count by the Post.

I'm starting to wonder if I just imagined him saying he was going to pull the troops out prior to being elected.

It's funny. When the economy tanked, Obama didn't hesitate to spend 800 billion.
When earmarks were wanted by all, Obama didn't hesitate and 6,000 were approved right along with the stimulus package.
When his healthcare plan required pushing, Obama didn't hesitate to lie through his teeth, and push and want the vote done THIS YEAR.

When McChrystal wanted 60,000 more troops to win a war?

Meh, I'll think about it. Stall. Wait some more. -Oh, more troops died?-
Wait a little longer.

Then ok 13,000?

-sigh-
I sure as hell hope that this is the hope and change you people voted for. "Cause it sure as hell, wasn't mine.

reply to post by calstorm


My thoughts as well. btw I see you have welcome to 1984 as your avatar, did you read it ?? If so did you enjoy it ??

And a majority of those 13k troops aren't even combat troops but "support" forces. LOL. Obama is a joke. As much as I am against the War on Terror and really do no support the troops or the US military at this point he just bitch slapped the US military and all the soldiers fighting over there. This is laughabe.

reply to post by Zosynspiracy


Agreed.

And I know this is ancient history, why it must have been 500 to 600 years ago, but wasn't there this place called Vietnam?
And didn't they ask for more troops?
And didn't a president decide not to listen to the generals?
And didn't we lose there?

hmmmmm. . . .

He has earned the Nobel Peace Prize with this act of bravery for he shall bring eternal peace upon his enemies.

Way to go BO. Gen McChrystal wanted 60,000 troops but your advisers thought that was too much so he cut the number down to 40,000 and the best you can do is 13000? Way to look out for your troops BO.

reply to post by calstorm

I'm starting to wonder if I just imagined him saying he was going to pull the troops out prior to being elected.

As I remember it, he said that he would pull the troops out of Iraq, not Afghanistan. He actually said several times that he was in favor of the war in Afghanistan and planned to send more troops to accomplish the mission.

Maybe he said different things in different parts of the country? Wouldn't put it past 'im.

Originally posted by octotom
reply to post by calstorm

 

I'm starting to wonder if I just imagined him saying he was going to pull the troops out prior to being elected.

As I remember it, he said that he would pull the troops out of Iraq, not Afghanistan. He actually said several times that he was in favor of the war in Afghanistan and planned to send more troops to accomplish the mission.

Maybe he said different things in different parts of the country? Wouldn't put it past 'im.

No, you got it right. He said it was a war that we had to win.
He hand picked the General and now won't support him.

If you are not going to let them win, then bring them home.
History should teach us in two recent events. The build up did work in Iraq.
And Russia got their butts kicked in Afghanistan with the same stratiegy that we have now. Unless you go into to war to clean someone's collective clock, what is the point?
But I also believe, unless you are defending an friends land, you go to war to take land. We have not done that for a long time.

Since Obama won't heed the advice of his chosen Generals, perhaps Obama would like to take a little jaunt to Afghanistan to spend a little time with our soldiers in the field.

13,000 won't even make a dent in Afghanistan. Win it or get out completely. Then of course we still have the weakness of Pakistan and their vulnerable Nuke Program to worry about.

Does this surprise anyone? Obama, the peacebringer, secretly sends more peace troops to Afghanistan to bring even more peace.
I´m sick of this peace.