Obama to Deploy 30,000 Troops to Afghanistan in Next Six Months
David Sessions
Washington Reporter
Posted:
12/1/09
President Obama has decided to deploy 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan within the next six months, the New York Times reports. The deployment will be faster than Obama had previously planned, as earlier timelines called for troop increases to occur incrementally over the next year. At the end of his nearly three-month review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Obama concluded that the situation required "more, sooner," and decided to increase the total American force to 100,000, starting immediately.
Obama will formally announce his strategy for Afghanistan in a speech Tuesday night at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
The new American troops will focus on protecting population centers in areas where the Taliban has been strongest in Afghanistan, including Kandahar in the south and Kohr in the east. U.S. forces will pair with Afghan security forces in an effort to train Afghan fighters to protect the country themselves.
Obama will formally announce his strategy for Afghanistan in a speech Tuesday night at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
The new American troops will focus on protecting population centers in areas where the Taliban has been strongest in Afghanistan, including Kandahar in the south and Kohr in the east. U.S. forces will pair with Afghan security forces in an effort to train Afghan fighters to protect the country themselves.