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US to send more troops 'to finish the job' in Afghanistan

Sydney Morning Herald - November 26, 2009

Anne Davies, Washington – The US President, Barack Obama, is expected to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan after saying he intends to "finish the job" of destroying terrorist networks there. The announcement on troop numbers is expected on Tuesday.

In brief remarks yesterday the President avoided any hint of troop numbers, but he said he would tell the American people about "a comprehensive strategy" embracing civilian and diplomatic efforts as well as a continuation of the military campaign.

He signalled an effort muscular enough to "dismantle and degrade" the enemy and ensure "al-Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate" in the region.

The President has been considering a request from his commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for 40,000 more soldiers to bolster the counter-insurgency strategy that Mr Obama adopted in March.

Despite vigorous debate during nine meetings of his war council, in which some urged pulling back to a strategy focused on knocking out al-Qaeda's leadership rather than confronting the Taliban, experts say Mr Obama will stick to his original strategy – with a few tweaks.

"There will be something in there for everyone," said an official who has been close to deliberations. "Nobody got everything, but everybody got something."

The US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, was influential in pushing for an increase of 30,000-plus, officials said. The final number could be 34,000 or 35,000 once US trainers are factored in, on top of the 68,000 American soldiers already there.

The extra troops are expected to focus on securing population centres and on training local security forces. That will be coupled with renewed diplomatic efforts to strengthen Afghan government institutions.

One of the main changes is likely be a drawdown strategy to be implemented as Afghan army and police reach full strength.

The US is also likely to set benchmarks for Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, to clean up corruption, and there are likely to be renewed efforts to win over local warlords, including those aligned with the Taliban.

"After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job," Mr Obama said during a press conference with India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. "I feel confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, they will be supportive."

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