-

Obama Beefs Up

-

Afghanistan Forces

-

-

(A-O Newswire) -- President Obama issued orders to the Pentagon to send an additional 17,000 troopsto Afghanistan this spring and summer.

President Obama will send one additional Army brigade and about 8,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force to Afghanistan to help stave off a new Spring/Summer offensive by Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Marines will arrive in the spring. 4,000 infantry troopers and 5,000 support personnel from the 5th Stryker Brigade of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington will be transported to Afghanistan later this summer.

The US now has about 30,000 troops in Afghanistan assisting NATO troops in defending the Afghan government from Islamic radicals. The reinforcements will double the size of the US contingent now operating in the Afghan theater.

The Islamic radicals have regrouped in recent years and are now stronger than they have ever been. According to various military analysts familiar with the latest conditions, the resurging radicals pose a serious threat to Western efforts to maintain the current Afghan government. Some military experts have been warning that the radicals have enough strength to possible topple the Afghan government and overwhelm US and NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Already, Taliban forces have conducted shocking raids inside the capital city of Kabul, including a brazen direct assault on the Presidential Palace. The latest clashes are a signal that the Taliban's spring offensive is now getting underway.

Many US military experts had misgivings that additional US forces could be rushed to reinforce to Afghanistan before late in 2010. US ground forces have been stretched to the limit. The 5th Stryker Brigade is a newly created unit that is still undergoing training but being rushed into service ahead of schedule. The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade was slated to return to Iraq for another tour of duty but instead is now diverted to Afghanistan.

The President's decision weakens the US military's Iraq war theater operation by diverting rotational replacements to Afghanistan. In doing so, rotational reguloations have been revised though it is not yet known just what impact this will have on exhausted US forces now serving in Iraq. More details, LINK HERE.

++++++

Australian Perspective on Added Troops

IN ANNOUNCING the deployment of 17,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan, Barack Obama fulfilled two campaign promises at once. The two brigades - one army, one marine - were previously headed for Iraq. Diverting them signalled that the slow withdrawal from that "dumb war" has begun. The question now must be whether it is any smarter to send them into the graveyard of empires. Full Commentary, LINK HERE.

++++++

 

-

-

-

-

-