bobdina
10-05-2009, 11:38 AM
Obama Urged To Act After 8 More US Soldiers Die
Monday, October 05, 2009
The American military suffered its deadliest day in Afghanistan in more than a year when eight soldiers were killed on Saturday in audacious daytime raids by insurgents on US outposts in the east of the country.
The deaths came as calls mounted in Washington and London for decisions to be taken quickly over future troop deployments to Afghanistan.
Barack Obama's administration, which will hold two meetings this week on military strategy in the region, was urged to bring its deliberations to an end swiftly or risk giving the impression of indecisiveness.
Anthony Zinni, the former commander of the US central command, told the CBS programme Face the Nation: "We have to be careful how long this goes on. It could be seen as being indecisive, unable to make a decision."
General Sir David Richards, the new head of the British army, said more troops were needed to improve security and take the fight to the Taliban.
"If you put in more troops, we can achieve the objectives laid upon us more quickly and with fewer casualties," he said. "You achieve greater security and the risk to your own troops declines."
The heavy loss of American lives occurred in the remote Nuristan province, close to Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. It was the deadliest raid since a similar attack in the same mountainous region killed nine US soldiers in July last year.
Insurgents attacked the US outposts with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The Americans managed to retain control of their positions, but the fighters continued pressing them for several hours despite coming under heavy gunfire and air strikes. Two members of the Afghan National Army also died, and Muhammad Qasim Jangulbagh, the provincial police chief, reported that 15 Afghan police, including the local police chief and his deputy, had been captured
Police spokesmen said up to 300 fighters attacked the lower of the two coalition outposts, an Afghan police station, early on Saturday before fighting their way up to the US station on higher ground.
Nato described the fighters as a "Nuristani tribal militia" but Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed claimed it was responsible for the attack, which, he said, involved waves of suicide attackers.
The mountainous and heavily forested border areas of Kunar and Nuristan have seen some of the heaviest death tolls inflicted on US troops by well-trained and well-armed insurgents who are able to move freely in and out of Pakistan.
The dilemma confronting the Obama administration over how to handle the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan has been intensified by the recent request by the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for an extra 40,000 foreign troops.
In a speech in London last week, McChrystal said success in the counter-insurgency campaign could not be taken for granted and there would be a problem if resources were not properly aligned with the mission objectives.
"A strategy that does not leave Afghanistan in a stable position is probably a short-sighted strategy," he said.
Speaking on CNN, Obama's national security adviser, General James Jones, said a decision on Afghanistan would be taken within weeks. He insisted there was no danger of the country being taken back by the Taliban. "Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling," he said.
He said the US assessment was that al-Qaida's presence in the country had sharply diminished. "The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies."
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, came under pressure over troop numbers yesterday when he was confronted by a frontline soldier during a tour of Camp Bastion, the British base in Helmand province. Ainsworth asked Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes, a bomb disposal specialist, what he most needed. "More troops on the ground," said Hughes. "It's been a ridiculously busy, ridiculously hard tour. We have lost two guys. Clearly more troops are needed on the ground – but then the same could be said for equipment."
Ainsworth said the UK "cannot do it alone". "We have got to try to get others to do their share and the other thing we have got to think about is how quickly we do it. It takes time, you can throw money at this and it still takes time."
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Richards said he backed the counter-insurgency strategy outlined by McChrystal, with its emphasis on appealing to Afghan "hearts and minds" by providing the population with better security. He said sending reinforcements would enable the Nato coalition to start winning the "psychological battle", while reducing casualty levels.
http://www.modoracle.com/news/Obama-Urged-To-Act-After-8-More-US-Soldiers-Die_18978.html
Monday, October 05, 2009
The American military suffered its deadliest day in Afghanistan in more than a year when eight soldiers were killed on Saturday in audacious daytime raids by insurgents on US outposts in the east of the country.
The deaths came as calls mounted in Washington and London for decisions to be taken quickly over future troop deployments to Afghanistan.
Barack Obama's administration, which will hold two meetings this week on military strategy in the region, was urged to bring its deliberations to an end swiftly or risk giving the impression of indecisiveness.
Anthony Zinni, the former commander of the US central command, told the CBS programme Face the Nation: "We have to be careful how long this goes on. It could be seen as being indecisive, unable to make a decision."
General Sir David Richards, the new head of the British army, said more troops were needed to improve security and take the fight to the Taliban.
"If you put in more troops, we can achieve the objectives laid upon us more quickly and with fewer casualties," he said. "You achieve greater security and the risk to your own troops declines."
The heavy loss of American lives occurred in the remote Nuristan province, close to Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. It was the deadliest raid since a similar attack in the same mountainous region killed nine US soldiers in July last year.
Insurgents attacked the US outposts with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The Americans managed to retain control of their positions, but the fighters continued pressing them for several hours despite coming under heavy gunfire and air strikes. Two members of the Afghan National Army also died, and Muhammad Qasim Jangulbagh, the provincial police chief, reported that 15 Afghan police, including the local police chief and his deputy, had been captured
Police spokesmen said up to 300 fighters attacked the lower of the two coalition outposts, an Afghan police station, early on Saturday before fighting their way up to the US station on higher ground.
Nato described the fighters as a "Nuristani tribal militia" but Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed claimed it was responsible for the attack, which, he said, involved waves of suicide attackers.
The mountainous and heavily forested border areas of Kunar and Nuristan have seen some of the heaviest death tolls inflicted on US troops by well-trained and well-armed insurgents who are able to move freely in and out of Pakistan.
The dilemma confronting the Obama administration over how to handle the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan has been intensified by the recent request by the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for an extra 40,000 foreign troops.
In a speech in London last week, McChrystal said success in the counter-insurgency campaign could not be taken for granted and there would be a problem if resources were not properly aligned with the mission objectives.
"A strategy that does not leave Afghanistan in a stable position is probably a short-sighted strategy," he said.
Speaking on CNN, Obama's national security adviser, General James Jones, said a decision on Afghanistan would be taken within weeks. He insisted there was no danger of the country being taken back by the Taliban. "Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling," he said.
He said the US assessment was that al-Qaida's presence in the country had sharply diminished. "The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies."
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, came under pressure over troop numbers yesterday when he was confronted by a frontline soldier during a tour of Camp Bastion, the British base in Helmand province. Ainsworth asked Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes, a bomb disposal specialist, what he most needed. "More troops on the ground," said Hughes. "It's been a ridiculously busy, ridiculously hard tour. We have lost two guys. Clearly more troops are needed on the ground – but then the same could be said for equipment."
Ainsworth said the UK "cannot do it alone". "We have got to try to get others to do their share and the other thing we have got to think about is how quickly we do it. It takes time, you can throw money at this and it still takes time."
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Richards said he backed the counter-insurgency strategy outlined by McChrystal, with its emphasis on appealing to Afghan "hearts and minds" by providing the population with better security. He said sending reinforcements would enable the Nato coalition to start winning the "psychological battle", while reducing casualty levels.
http://www.modoracle.com/news/Obama-Urged-To-Act-After-8-More-US-Soldiers-Die_18978.html