US proposes doubling Afghanistan troops

[ECH1969]

The US military has proposed doubling the size of Afghanistan's army as US President George W Bush prepares to urge NATO members to send in more troops to contain increasing violence.

Bush travels next week to the NATO summit in Riga, Latvia, where the rising Taliban insurgency was expected to be a top issue.

The president is also expected to use the meeting to seek greater ties between NATO and five non-member countries, including Australia, which has troops in south-central Afghanistan, to boost training.

Meanwhile, the US military has proposed doubling the size of the Afghan army by late 2008 and improvements to its firepower and equipment.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/US-proposes-doubling-Afghanistan-troops/2006/11/22/1163871464635.html

[daleo]

1. The Taleban could join the Afghan army three days of the week

Then they could all go over to the other side on the other three, and rest on the Sabbath. Everybody wins.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Someone's gotta ask it...

With whose army??

[Christa]

8. My question exactly!!

:mad:

[Roland99]

3. Why do I have the feeling that many of the new Afghani recruits would be Taliban/insurgents?

Just like what happened in Iraq.

[Eugene]

4. Reuters: Merkel warns NATO against divisive Afghan debate

Merkel warns NATO against divisive Afghan debate
22 Nov 2006 10:31:04 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Noah Barkin

BERLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Wednesday
to keep German peacekeepers in northern Afghanistan and resist attempts
to transfer them to the more violent south.

With roughly 2,900 troops in Afghanistan, Germany is one of the largest
contributors to a peacekeeping force in place since shortly after the 2001
U.S.- and British-led invasion to oust the radical Taliban regime.

Merkel has come under increasing pressure from the United States and NATO
to move German soldiers from the north to the south where Taliban fighters
are staging a violent insurgency.

The German mandate as agreed by parliament stipulates that its troops be
stationed in the north and help out in the south only on an ad-hoc
emergency basis.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22905723.htm

[tinymontgomery]

5. No more back rubs

for her!

[jwirr]

6. What? We have to have more protection for the opium growers?

[Eugene]

7. Reuters: More troops won't solve Afghan crisis -Italy PM

More troops won't solve Afghan crisis -Italy PM
24 Nov 2006 15:29:51 GMT
Source: Reuters

LUCCA, Italy, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Sending more NATO troops into Afghanistan
will not resolve the country's problems, Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi
said on Friday, days before NATO leaders discuss the issue at a summit.

"The military solution in Afghanistan will not succeed in getting a result,
the problem must have a political solution," Prodi told a news conference
after meeting French President Jacques Chirac.

"Let's be clear, no increase in the number of troops in Afghanistan will be
able to resolve such an awful problem as this," he added.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24231244.htm

[goforit]

9. Need to prtect those poppy fields.