U.S. weighs thousands more troops for Afghan war

[Duppers]

Source: Reuters (Yahoo News)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Pentagon is considering sending up to 7,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The increase would likely result in "the re-Americanization" of the war, one U.S. official said, according to the Times. U.S. forces would then account for two-thirds of foreign troops in Afghanistan, it said.

The report appeared a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States could consider taking over NATO's command in southern Afghanistan, where some NATO allies have been reluctant to provide combat forces.

Southern Afghanistan, site of the worst in a surge of Taliban violence, is now under NATO command. Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia all have forces in the region.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080503/ts_nm/afghan_usa_troops_dc

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A recruiter called for my 21-yr old son this morning. He's not living at home but working his butt off at university.

I told the polite, young recruiter that he had a thankless job.

NATO shouldn't bail out on us on Afghanistan, which I consider a legit war. We would not have this shortage in Afghanistan if we'd get the fuck out of Iraq....and it'd be under control.

Oh, I forgot, Afghanistan doesn't have OIL, as if that's working out for the bushies.

[pfitz59]

1. Afghanistan has Opium

Skull & Bones was funded by the Opium Trade. Bush is Skull and Bones!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8425/BONES.HTM

[ckramer]

2. I think we should bail out in both places

Iraq and Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan is pointless beyond the understandable emotion of revenge for 9/11.

bin Laden is not even in Afghanistan.

[provis99]

3. what's the point of troop escalation? We lost in Afghanistan years ago

The place is as chaotic as Somalia. There is nothing there to win, thanks to Bush focusing on Iraq rather than Afghanistan. Bush: first President to lose two wars simultaneously.

[CanonRay]

4. Where are the additional troops coming from?

[pfitz59]

5. Folks like my friend Sabrina!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/359728_navalofficer19.html

"It cannibalizes the Navy -- and Air Force -- to cover up a shortage of Army and Marine troops to fight the wars, she argues."

[elocs]

6. My 19 year old godson leaves for Afghanistan in June.

He leaves from Fort Hood where he has been for a year. The sad thing is that the kid is clueless about what is going on in the presidential race and tell me he doesn't pay attention to politics. I told him he had better since it will determine where he goes and about his G.I. benefits when he gets out.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. You consider Afghanistan a "legit war"??? First of all, it's not a war, it's

a military occupation propping up a puppet (Karzai). But, pray tell, exactly what makes the imperialist military occupation of Afghanistan 'legit'???

Did you ever see the promisted portfolio of evidence against Osama?? Remember how former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell promised to release a portfolio containing detailed evidence and that portfolio never got released??? If you did see it, I would dearly love to know where and how, as to the best of my knowledge the portfolio Powell promised never was released

Here's something to consider: Might does not make right

[saigon68]

15. The Puppet Karzai (The mayor of Kabul) not worth dying for

It is a fucked up country. Osama left there years ago.

We are chasing his ghost

[coalition_unwilling]

8. Afghan Resistance says "Bring it on" -n/t

[Mudoria]

12. You mean the Taliban?

You know those wonderful guys that liked to execute men and women on soccer fields for a lark? Nice resistance there. Oh, and Karzai was elected... that slip your mind?

[saigon68]

16. Karzai was appointed by Dick Cheney

And the rest of the NeoCons in an election of 4000 voters where he was the only one on the ballot. A kind of "Russian Election"

[rocktivity]

9. Weigh the troops how? Individually, or on one of those truck scales?

:dunce:
rocknation

[Disturbed]

10. Afghanistan has $Billions in Natural Gas under the ground.

The Western Corps are waiting for the country to be "pacified" so that they can
start capturing that Natural Gas & build pipelines.

Economy of Afghanistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afghanistan is endowed with a wealth of natural resources, including extensive deposits of natural gas, petroleum, coal, marble, gold, copper, chromite, ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Afghanistan

[MadMaddie]

11. NATO jumped in at the beginning of the Afghan war, and the US

mishandled every aspect of the war. The only way NATO can get involved again is if there is a group of countries other than the US to lead an aggressive campaign against the Taliban.

NATO may have no choice but to abandon the US if the US refuses to let other countries to help. NATO would be foolish to allow the US to take sole leadership in this effort. The US has proved to be incompetent in it's leadership by firing all legit military commanders and putting in place Petreus. Just sayin...

This does not mean I am not supporting our troops, this means that our troops need competent leaders to make rational not political decisions.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

13. Maybe bush will hightail it over there... after all it's so "romantic"

"I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed."

"It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said.

mr. gw bush March 2008

[MadMaddie]

14. I am more than ever convinced that he is insane.

He has no real comprehension of war and it's results.

[Pastiche423]

17. What in hell is legit about the Afghanistan occupation?