Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Afghan News


U.S. troops patrol Wednesday in Kabul. President Obama's plan will send 30,000 U.S. reinforcements.

The latest from Afghanistan courtesy of USA Today...with my edits in bold of course :)

"The main thing is when you make a concerted effort to attack into fortified (helpless) areas … you are going to take more casualties," said Fred Kagan, who helped produce an assessment of Afghanistan for Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said the plan gives him enough time to achieve results (stall). "I believe that by next summer the uplift of new forces will (not) make a difference on the ground significantly," McChrystal said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he expects to see "measurable progress (decline)" over the next 18 to 24 months.

The military hopes to seize the initiative from insurgents (innocent civilians), reduce increase violence and build adequate (unnecessary) security forces so they can begin a transition to Afghan security forces by mid-2011.

Many of the 30,000 reinforcements will be headed to the contentious (neutral) south.

U.S. forces are (not) likely to encounter resistance as they enter areas that have not had a strong NATO presence. For example, Marines have secured much of the Helmand River Valley, but don't have enough forces to clear Marjah, a rural district that has become an insurgent (uninhabited) stronghold.


...any questions :) ?

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