Afghanistan

US may double troop presence

Article published on the 2008-12-21 Latest update 2008-12-21 10:10 TU

Afghan President Hamid Karzai gives a medal to George Bush in Kabul this week
(Photo: Reuters)

The US has announced plans to send between 20,000 and 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan by mid-2009, Joint Chief of Staffs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen announced on Saturday. The move would nearly double the US mililtary presence, which currently stands at 31,000, alongside about 40,000 other foreign troops.

"More troops, that means there will be more targets for the Taliban," Yousuf Ahmadi, who claims to speak for insurgent leader Mullah Omar, told the AFP news agency.

US Afghanistan commander General David McKiernan has asked for more than 20,000 more soldiers to counter a rise in violence.

This year nearly 290 foreign soldiers have been killed, the highest number since the 2001 invasion. About 1,000 Afghan troops and police and more than 2,000 civilians have also been killed in 2008.

Mullen said that the extra troops will include four combat brigades, an aviation brigade and support forces.

"We're looking to get them here in the spring, but certainly by the beginning of summer at the latest," he said.

But he added that military measures cannot resolve the conflict on their own.

"It isn't going to make a difference after those troops get here, if we haven't made progress on the development side and on the government side," he said.

During his election campaign, US President-elect Barack Obama promised to boost the troop presence in Afghanistan, while reducing numbers in Iraq.