.US to deploy 9,000 Marines to Helmand: report
[Dawn] The US military will deploy up to 9,000 Marines to Afghanistan's Helmand province, doubling US presence there, in the days after President Barack Obama's war strategy announcement this week, the Washington Post said Saturday.
Citing senior US officials, the daily said the extra Marines won't move to the restive southern province until after Obama's address to the nation Tuesday from the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state.
The aim is to regain a footing in the region that has been a base for a fierce Taliban insurgency in recent months.
Some 1,000 army trainers will follow the Marine's deployment, perhaps by February next year, the Post said.
'The first troops out of the door are going to be Marines,' General James Conway, the top Marine officer, was quoted as telling soldiers in Afghanistan on Saturday.
'We've been leaning forward in anticipation of a decision. And we've got some pretty stiff fighting coming,' he said, according to the Post.
Obama has been weighing requests from his Afghan war commander, General Stanley McChrystal, to send up to 40,000 more troops to join 68,000 US troops already in Afghanistan.
Last week the president, accused of dithering on his decision, said he would make it clear 'the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security,' and would call on allies in Europe and beyond to help.
Dawn
Citing senior US officials, the daily said the extra Marines won't move to the restive southern province until after Obama's address to the nation Tuesday from the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state.
The aim is to regain a footing in the region that has been a base for a fierce Taliban insurgency in recent months.
Some 1,000 army trainers will follow the Marine's deployment, perhaps by February next year, the Post said.
'The first troops out of the door are going to be Marines,' General James Conway, the top Marine officer, was quoted as telling soldiers in Afghanistan on Saturday.
'We've been leaning forward in anticipation of a decision. And we've got some pretty stiff fighting coming,' he said, according to the Post.
Obama has been weighing requests from his Afghan war commander, General Stanley McChrystal, to send up to 40,000 more troops to join 68,000 US troops already in Afghanistan.
Last week the president, accused of dithering on his decision, said he would make it clear 'the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security,' and would call on allies in Europe and beyond to help.
Dawn
posted by madtom at 5:34 PM
4 Comments:
And from what I was able to get out of that rambling, disjointed, repetitive snooze inducing speech, His Oliness is likely to issue white flags to each Marine and soldier. I'm sending troops, but we are leaving cuz this critically necessary war is costing too much. But, I will need a sacrifice to show that though I tried, my predecessor just fucked everything up beyond repair and though I am far better than him, I'm not not quite omnipotent, yet.
Something like that.
He does seem to have learned to look straight at the camera and I think he tried using it for effect. When he said "my fellow American, and then when he was talking to the Afghans and Pakis.
Anyways, he sent troops while announcing their withdrawal...slick
What was slick was the way he denounced the Iraq war while congratulating himself for winning it.
There was something for everyone, he even alluded to taking on AQ in Yemen and Somalia. His excellency, the "custodian", must be burning up the phone demanding help with victory against the rebels, or at least some way to cover their asses.
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