US President Barack Obama and his top advisers are conducting a review to formulate a better US Military strategy in Afghanistan following the request of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander based in Afghanistan, for 40,000 more troops. Top officials are now anticipating the President’s decision but the big question focuses on the number of troops that will be deployed in the war-torn country.
Kimberly Kagan of the Institute for the Study of War said that a large number of troops are necessary. The 40,000 troop request would “reverse the momentum of the insurgency, which has been on the rise,” according to the expert. She added that it will also be significant to the area of Kandahar which is being occupied by Taliban forces but emphasised that more are also needed in other areas.
“If we had 40,000 more troops, it is likely that the initiative would be wrested from the enemy, and the U.S. and coalition forces would be able to mount a counteroffensive that would proceed in stages over time,” she said.
Various suggestions from top officials have surfaced, putting pressure on the President to make an urgent decision. For Sen. John McCain, sending less than 40,000 troops “would be an error of historic proportions.”
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein meanwhile hopes for Obama to listen to Gen. McChrystal. “I don’t know how you put somebody in who’s as crackerjack as Gen. McChrystal, who gives the president very solid recommendations, and not take those recommendations if you’re not going to pull out,” she told ABC.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts gives a different view on the other hand, stating that more troops means losing more money.
“We need to come up with a strategy that includes an exit strategy, because it’ll also put pressure on the government of Afghanistan to step up to the plate, which it has not done so far. We have wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, hundreds of billions of dollars that are all going onto our credit card. Our kids and our grandkids are paying for this,” he said.
