Washington will send an extra 4,000 U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan to train that country's military and police forces, as well as substantially increase civilian aid efforts, U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday.
We will shift our emphasis to training Afghan security forces so they can eventually take the lead in securing their country, he said.
Washington would like to see the country's army enrolment reach 134,000 by 2011. Currently, it stands at 83,000.
The extra American trainers, who will be paired with Afghan army units, will follow the summer arrival of 17,000 new soldiers already ordered to Afghanistan by Washington. Obama said the extra troops will help provide security ahead of Afghan presidential elections in August.
Obama called the situation in Afghanistan increasingly perilous, with Taliban attacks against American troops and their NATO allies rising steadily.
We have a clear and focused goal to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future, said Obama.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement Friday that the strategy will benefit both the Afghan people and the region and increases the chance that his government and its international partners will successfully address the rising militant threat in the country.
Support for Pakistan Security in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to Pakistan, said Obama, adding al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants are likely hiding out in Pakistan's lawless border region, which Obama called the most dangerous place in the world.
If Afghanistan's government falls to the Taliban, that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they can, he said.
The president asked Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to give Pakistan $1.5 billion in economic support each year for the next five years to help build roads, schools and hospitals. In return, Pakistan's government must show it is working to combat militants in the border region with Afghanistan.
Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al-Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders. We will insist that action be taken one way or another when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets, said Obama.The president spoke just hours after a suicide bomber in Pakistan demolished a mosque packed with hundreds of worshippers attending Friday prayers near the Afghan border, killing at least 48 people and injuring scores more, in the bloodiest attack in Pakistan this year.
Rising violence in Pakistan is fuelling doubts about the pro-western government's ability to counter Taliban and al-Qaida militants also blamed for attacks on western troops in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Harper and MND MacKay now that we have heard the rhetoric from the leader of USA and from the leader of Afghanistan. How will this affect our Canadian troops who have valiantly fought the taliban and other insurgents over the past 8 years. 2011 seems to be our cut off date for combat, PLEASE do not send our troops to fight on two fronts ie. Pakistan. Perhaps it is now time to rethink our role completely and concentrate on the reconstruction of Afghanistan, let other NATO allies take over the full combat role. As mentioned the taliban and other cowards do not respect life nor religion. Another Mosque destroyed in Pakistan more lifes of innocent people wiped out by a cuture of cowardly fanatics.
The Germans fought and lost on two fronts, does History not repeat itself?
While most of the stuff on the internet is junk, the junk pile does hold an occasional diamond. One such is a daily report called NightWatch, written by a retired DIA analyst, John McCreary. As quoted in the Washington Posts Tom Ricks Inbox, NightWatch for September 11, 2008 said that
The U.S., as the most powerful faction (in Iraq), imposed power sharing on the Kurds, the Arab Sunnis and the Arab ShiitesPower sharing is deceptive because it always features reduced violence. It looks like victory, but is not.Power sharing can last a long time, but it is not a permanent condition and does not signify one factions triumph over the others. It is never an end state, but rather a transitional period during which the participants prepare for the next phase of the struggle.thus Power Sharing is always a prelude to Violence.
For the readers who reside on PEI please support our annual Military Families resource centre Bingo tonight.
As I complete this Blog no doubt the opposition are still fighting to keep deserters in Canada. WHY? ? ? When 116 Canadians 2 aid workers and a diplomat have paid the ultimate price already.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
