Military leaders say war in Afghanistan should continue

Brunei News.Net
Wednesday 30th September, 2009

Top US military leaders have stated their support for the current strategy in Afghanistan.

The commander of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, the head of the regional Central Command, General David Petraeus, and the top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, have endorsed the counter-insurgency strategy now being carried out in the Afghan war.

The three officers were part of a review of war strategy at the White House on Wednesday, to give advice to President Barack Obama who has to decide whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has said the leaders prefer the current strategy to another that has been put forward, suggesting a smaller-scale mission focused on hunting down al-Qaeda figures.

The small-scale case, being debated in Washington and linked to Vice President Joe Biden, relies more on a smaller US force to prevent al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base; hunting down al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders and increasing drone raids over Pakistan.

The current counter-insurgency program requires large numbers of troops involved in protecting villages and nation re-building work.

There are more than 100,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan, including about 65,000 American troops.

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