Barack Obama is expected to send 34,000 more US troops to Afghanistan when he unveils his long-awaited strategy for the Afghan conflict next Tuesday, US media reports said today.
The Politico website said the US president would make a prime time address to the American people to announce his plans for what he has described as "a war of necessity".
Just as significant as the number of troops, however, will be pointers to a US exit strategy – something that will be closely watched by the British government, which is under public pressure to withdraw 9,000 UK troops from Afghanistan.
The McClatchy news service reported that the White House plan contained "off-ramps" – points, starting as early as next June, at which Obama could decide to continue to increase troop numbers, halt deployments and adopt a more limited strategy or "begin looking very quickly at exiting", depending on political and military progress.
The US currently has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, along with 42,000 from other countries, as the conflict there enters its ninth year.
Jules Crittenden speaks for me on this:
In the three months he’s been mulling his options, nearly 200 Americans have been killed in action in Afghanistan, their families left to wonder whether they died for something other than their comrades and their duty, or if they would be relegated to join John Kerry’s famous “last man to die for a mistake” … that hapless grunt whose sacrifice was rendered meaningless the last time politicans took counsel of their fears and precipitously undermined a war effort, with disastrous, genocidal results.
There is some reason for optimism he will give those dead and their families hope for something better this time. His recent Fort Hood speech suggests he may be beginning to get that it is bigger than him, that there are actually some players, the pawns in this game, who are more important than him. The regular Americans who step up, who are, in the end, what it is all about. But those were words that still want deeds.
Now is the time and this is the opportunity for him to become what, the tests of this first year notwithstanding, he has managed to dodge, as he’s variously palmed off tough choices and bowed to the will and whims of others.
An American leader. A wartime president. Standing on his own feet, making no excuses, as he sends soldiers into harm’s way to do this dirty job that someone has to do.
Will he deliver? Will he give substance to those who think he's all that?
I seriously doubt it, history being the best gauge for future performance. But for the sake of this country and our troops, let's hope like hell I'm wrong.
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