.Dutch general: new US troops will disrupt Taliban
HOUTHEM-SINT GERLACH, Netherlands (AP) - New American troops pouring into southern Afghanistan will allow NATO-led forces to drive deeper into the heart of the Taliban insurgency, the Dutch general commanding allied forces in the region said Wednesday.
President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan and some 10,000 already have been deployed. They aim to pacify the vast region and train local forces so the Afghan government can take control and eventually allow foreign soldiers to return home.
In an upbeat assessment of the coalition campaign, Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif said the extra troops would strengthen efforts to disrupt the insurgents and combat roadside bombs that are their chief weapon.
The allied forces have been fighting the Taliban for eight years with limited success, and the extra troops are intended to reverse an upswing in insurgency violence.
De Kruif said the addition of troops and vehicles means "we will go into areas we have never been before, disrupting the insurgents' leadership, their logistics and their IEDS" - or roadside bombs that are the Taliban's most deadly weapon, accounting for 70 percent of all coalition casualties in southern Afghanistan.
The NATO-led force in the south is expected to number some 45,000 troops by the time of Afghan elections on Aug. 20, De Kruif said.
The Dutch general briefed reporters and later defense ministers from seven of the eight nations with forces in southern Afghanistan - the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania and Estonia. Britain's new defense secretary, Bob Ainsworth, was joining the talks on Thursday.
Another key benefit of the troop surge is that they can do more to protect Afghan villagers from being terrorized by the Taliban.
That terror campaign never lets up, meaning "we cannot afford to come into a village at 8 o'clock in the morning and leave at 5 o'clock in the evening," De Kruif said.
De Kruif was to give a similar overview of coalition efforts to the defense ministers when they met Wednesday evening at a French chateau-style hotel in the hills of the southern Dutch province of Limburg.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew to the Netherlands early Wednesday and was visiting a nearby American war cemetery before attending the meeting.
Gates said he is discussing the role and placement of American forces with his fellow defense ministers.
"The other point that I will be emphasizing is the continuing high importance of our partners staying with us and keeping this truly an international coalition," Gates told reporters.
De Kruif commands the sprawling southern Afghanistan region made up of six provinces, four of them bordering Pakistan, which is a Taliban stronghold and major poppy-growing area.
Extra troops also will mean better protection of the porous border that allows Taliban to slip in and out of bases in Pakistan.
"The border with Pakistan is about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) long, and it's completely open," De Kruif said.
"We know that until now the insurgents have pretty much (had) freedom of movement between the sanctuaries in Pakistan and areas they operate in within southern Afghanistan," he added. "That is going to change with the additional forces."
At a NATO meeting of defense ministers starting Thursday in Brussels, European allies will likely come under pressure to also send more troops.
Many Europeans strongly oppose sending more soldiers to Afghanistan at a time of economic crisis and shrinking defense budgets.
But the 28 alliance defense ministers - joined by their counterparts from 22 partner nations - also will consider reenforcing their training and monitoring missions that are working to double the size of Afghanistan's security forces.
MyWay
President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan and some 10,000 already have been deployed. They aim to pacify the vast region and train local forces so the Afghan government can take control and eventually allow foreign soldiers to return home.
In an upbeat assessment of the coalition campaign, Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif said the extra troops would strengthen efforts to disrupt the insurgents and combat roadside bombs that are their chief weapon.
The allied forces have been fighting the Taliban for eight years with limited success, and the extra troops are intended to reverse an upswing in insurgency violence.
De Kruif said the addition of troops and vehicles means "we will go into areas we have never been before, disrupting the insurgents' leadership, their logistics and their IEDS" - or roadside bombs that are the Taliban's most deadly weapon, accounting for 70 percent of all coalition casualties in southern Afghanistan.
The NATO-led force in the south is expected to number some 45,000 troops by the time of Afghan elections on Aug. 20, De Kruif said.
The Dutch general briefed reporters and later defense ministers from seven of the eight nations with forces in southern Afghanistan - the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania and Estonia. Britain's new defense secretary, Bob Ainsworth, was joining the talks on Thursday.
Another key benefit of the troop surge is that they can do more to protect Afghan villagers from being terrorized by the Taliban.
That terror campaign never lets up, meaning "we cannot afford to come into a village at 8 o'clock in the morning and leave at 5 o'clock in the evening," De Kruif said.
De Kruif was to give a similar overview of coalition efforts to the defense ministers when they met Wednesday evening at a French chateau-style hotel in the hills of the southern Dutch province of Limburg.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew to the Netherlands early Wednesday and was visiting a nearby American war cemetery before attending the meeting.
Gates said he is discussing the role and placement of American forces with his fellow defense ministers.
"The other point that I will be emphasizing is the continuing high importance of our partners staying with us and keeping this truly an international coalition," Gates told reporters.
De Kruif commands the sprawling southern Afghanistan region made up of six provinces, four of them bordering Pakistan, which is a Taliban stronghold and major poppy-growing area.
Extra troops also will mean better protection of the porous border that allows Taliban to slip in and out of bases in Pakistan.
"The border with Pakistan is about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) long, and it's completely open," De Kruif said.
"We know that until now the insurgents have pretty much (had) freedom of movement between the sanctuaries in Pakistan and areas they operate in within southern Afghanistan," he added. "That is going to change with the additional forces."
At a NATO meeting of defense ministers starting Thursday in Brussels, European allies will likely come under pressure to also send more troops.
Many Europeans strongly oppose sending more soldiers to Afghanistan at a time of economic crisis and shrinking defense budgets.
But the 28 alliance defense ministers - joined by their counterparts from 22 partner nations - also will consider reenforcing their training and monitoring missions that are working to double the size of Afghanistan's security forces.
MyWay
posted by madtom at 8:43 PM
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