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US General Stanley McChrystal denies Afghanistan rift
Agence France Presse - September 25, 2009
Washington – The top US general in Afghanistan has been forced to deny a rift with Barack Obama after he warned the President this week that the US risked losing the war unless there were fundamental changes in strategy, including the addition of at least 10,000 US troops.
General Stanley McChrystal yesterday rejected the suggestion his grim assessment of the war had driven a wedge between the military and the Obama administration, but he warned against taking too long to settle on a final strategy, reports said.
General McChrystal said in an interview with The New York Times he welcomed the fierce debate that had erupted in the US this week over how to carry out the war.
"A policy debate is warranted," he told the newspaper from his headquarters in Kabul. "We should not have any ambiguities, as a nation or a coalition," he said. "At the end of the day, we're putting young people in harm's way."
The report said Mr Obama's top advisers were rethinking the strategy the President unveiled in March, amid a growing political divide in the US over how to proceed and confusion among allies that have fighting forces in Afghanistan.
In his confidential assessment, delivered on August 30, General McChrystal warned that he needed more troops within the next year or else the conflict would result in American failure.
"I had absolute freedom to put in a candid assessment, and I did that," he said in the interview with the paper, his first since submitting his 66-page classified report. "I have not been limited in any way in identifying resources that might be required."
General McChrystal said he agreed to speak to The New York Times after he became increasingly concerned about reports of rifts between the military and the civilian leadership, and about rumours he was considering resigning if his assessment was not accepted.
The general denied he had discussed – or even considered – resigning his command, as had been whispered about at the Pentagon, saying that he was committed to carrying out whatever mission Mr Obama approved, the report said.
"I believe success is achievable," he said. "I can tell you unequivocally that I have not considered resigning at all."
The general told the paper that after submitting his report, he had been directed to provide more information and respond to several questions, including on the impact of the flawed Afghan presidential election.
The general would not address various proposals for reshaping the mission that differ from his, including an approach supported by US Vice-President Joe Biden to scale back the military operation in Afghanistan to focus instead on terrorists seeking a haven in Pakistan, the report said.
General McChrystal, who assumed command of the American and NATO operations in Afghanistan in June, told the paper he had not spoken directly to Mr Obama since he submitted his assessment, but he expected he would after the President and his advisers had time to digest it.
The US commander in Afghanistan will submit a request for more troops this week, but the Obama administration will not decide on the issue until it completes a review of war strategy, the Pentagon said yesterday.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates had no plans to present the troop request from General McChrystal to Mr Obama until discussions on strategy on the troubled Afghan mission were finished, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
"I expect by the week's end the secretary will have received General McChrystal's resource request," he said.
"But I want to make it perfectly clear that once he has it, he intends to hold on to it, until such time as the President and his national security team are ready to consider it." He said it was "simply premature to consider additional resources" until an assessment of the war effort submitted by General McChrystal was fully reviewed.
The discussion of strategy was being carried out as quickly as possible but would not be rushed, Mr Morrell said.
The details of General McChrystal's troop request remain unclear but he is reportedly expected to ask for 10,000 to 30,000 additional soldiers to help turn the tide against Taliban insurgents.
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