AFGHANISTAN

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16 September 2009
Decision on U.S. Troop Levels in Afghanistan Awaits Assessments

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — President Obama says he is not going to decide whether to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan until assessments are completed of the situation in that country after its August presidential and provincial council elections.

Speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the White House September 16, Obama said that along with looking at the situation in the country from a military standpoint, "it’s important that we also do an assessment on the civilian side, the diplomatic side, [and] the development side," as well as "analyze the results of the election" before making new policy decisions.

“You don’t make determinations about resources, and certainly you don’t make determinations about sending young men and women into battle without having absolute clarity about what the strategy is going to be,” Obama said.

The president’s remarks came one day after Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the U.S. Congress that the U.S. counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan “probably needs more forces.” Mullen also recommended in his testimony that 2,000 to 4,000 more personnel from the United States and its partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) be sent to help train Afghan security forces.

Obama said that making the right strategic decision on Afghanistan also requires broad consultations not only within his administration but also with U.S. partners in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and its allies in NATO. Canada is among the 42 nations that have contributed troops to ISAF.

“Our overriding objective … is to dismantle and disrupt and destroy al-Qaida and prevent it from being able to project violence against the United States, allies like Canada, our bases and operations around the world,” Obama said, adding, “That has not yet occurred.”

Harper said that while Taliban insurgents do not constitute either an alternative government in Afghanistan or “any immediate threat” to replacing the country’s elected government, “we are concerned about the strength of the insurgency,” and he welcomed renewed American and NATO military efforts.

Harper said Canada “is not leaving Afghanistan,” but “will be transitioning from a predominantly military mission to a mission that will be a civilian humanitarian development mission after 2011.”

He added that his country’s emphasis in Afghanistan has been for the government led by President Hamid Karzai to be able to assume greater responsibility for everyday security. “In the end, we have to be clear that the security and sovereignty of Afghanistan can in the long term only be done by Afghans themselves,” he said.

President Obama agreed, saying, “Ultimately, Afghan security has to transition onto the shoulders of … the Afghan government and Afghan security forces.”

Obama praised Canada’s contributions to the military effort. “We are tremendously grateful for the extraordinary sacrifices of the Canadian military. They have fought. They have had staying power. They have absorbed losses that we all grieve for,” he said.

Geoff Morrell, the spokesman for the Pentagon, said September 15 that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has not reached a conclusion on whether he will recommend that President Obama send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

“The secretary, I think, is still more in the evolution process in his thinking than having arrived at a decision as to whether or not, yes, significant numbers of additional forces are needed, or no, they aren’t,” Morrell said.

But Gates does believe that more resources should be provided “as soon as possible” to counter the threat of roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices, he said.

“By that I mean route clearance teams, explosive-ordnance disposal teams, medevac teams, intelligence assets — not to mention the hardware that’s required,” Morrell said.

A transcript of remarks by Obama and Harper is available on America.gov.

What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov’s blog Obama Today.

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