US may send another 7,000 troops to Afghanistan
Saturday, 03 May 2008 11:35
The US government may send another 7,000 troops to Afghanistan
American military leaders are thinking about sending as many as 7,000 soldiers to Afghanistan next year.
US government officials said the move is to make up for a shortage in troops sent to the country by America’s Nato allies, the New York Times reports.
Officials said that the plan would boost the number of American troops in Afghanistan to around 40,000, the most since the war against the Taliban began in 2002, but would require a moderate withdrawal of forces from Iraq.
The plan was formed because Nato either cannot or will not send more troops to Afghanistan, even though the leaders of various countries publicly promised a greater effort in Afghanistan at a summit in Bucharest last month.
The Afghan government faces a renewed challenge from the Taliban and al-Qaida, and claims by George Bush's government that Nato was to provide further assistance in Afghanistan are not ringing true due to the lack of reinforcements.
If the Pentagon goes through with the plan, the proportion of foreign forces in Afghanistan will be around two-thirds American.
"There are simply going to be more American forces than we've ever had there", an anonymous official told the New York Times, who went on to describe the plan as "the re-Americanisation" of the war.
Twelve Nato member countries have committed only around 2,000 soldiers, with military leaders in Afghanistan said to be asking for 10,000 more. So far only France has committed to sending in more troops – 700 of them – but these reinforcements are not expected in Afghanistan for some time.