From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Webster Tarpley Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 12:58 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [UK-911-Truth] Warmonger Obama escalates: 34,000 more GIs to Afghan meatgrinder
Pentagon preparing to send 34,000 troops to Afghanistan, official says STORY HIGHLIGHTS * NEW: Pentagon official says no final word yet, but preparations under way * NEW: Planners told to prepare based on expectation 34,000 troops will be sent * Obama met with national security team Monday night to discuss Afghanistan * Obama wanted clarification on how, when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility Washington (CNN) -- Pentagon planners expect orders to send about 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a defense official told CNN, a day after the president's final meeting to decide the next moves in Afghanistan. The military has planning under way to send three U.S. Army brigades, totaling about 15,000 troops; a Marine brigade, about 8,000 troops; a headquarters element, about 7,000 troops; and between 4,000 and 5,000 support troops -- a total of approximately 34,000 troops, according to a defense official with direct knowledge of Pentagon operations. CNN reported last month that this was the preferred option within the Pentagon. Pentagon planners have been tasked with preparing for this option with the expectation that is the number the president is leaning toward, said the defense official with direct knowledge of the process. The official insisted Tuesday there is no final word yet. The troops would be divided up in various locations around the country, mainly focusing in the south and southeast parts where much of the fighting is. Currently, brigades from Fort Drum in New York and Fort Campbell in Kentucky are among those that are next in line to deploy. Obama is expected to announce his Afghanistan strategy "early next week," senior Pentagon officials told CNN on Tuesday. The officials would not speak on the record because there has not been an official announcement. Several media reports have said the announcement will be on Tuesday, December 1. The officials said the current thinking is that after the announcement, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen will testify to the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees for both the House and Senate. It is expected that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, will also testify on the Hill, the officials said. McChrystal has asked for more troops and Republicans have criticized Obama for the drawn-out consideration process. The White House has defended its timetable, saying the president wants to get the decision right, not fast. Obama said Tuesday the review over the options for U.S. troop levels for Afghanistan "has been comprehensive and extremely useful." "It's going to be important to recognize that in order for us to succeed there, you've got to have a comprehensive strategy that includes civilian and diplomatic efforts," the president said at a news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As far as the timing of the announcement on strategy, he said only that it would be after the Thanksgiving holiday. Obama met with his national security team Monday night. "After completing a rigorous final meeting, President Obama has the information he wants and needs to make his decision and he will announce that decision within days," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said after the meeting. Monday's meeting, which ended at 10 p.m., included Vice President Joe Biden, Clinton, Gates, Mullen, McChrystal, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and other senior officials. At the last war council meeting -- on November 11, Veterans Day -- Obama pushed for revisions in proposed plans for troop increases to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government. Gibbs said before Monday's meeting that Obama would seek answers to the questions he posed on November 11 about "not just how we get people there, but what's the strategy for getting them out." Sources said one option that has been presented to <http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Barack_Obama> Obama calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, in addition to the 68,000 already committed to the country, with other options involving variations on that plan. Before the November 11 meeting, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, said the decision-making process was approaching completion. Petraeus emphasized the need to focus on the mission of ensuring that <http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Afghanistan> Afghanistan "does not once again become a sanctuary or safe haven for al Qaeda and the kind of transnational extremists that carried out the 9/11 attacks." The Obama administration has expressed concerns about Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's viability and has ratcheted up pressure to end corruption in order to combat an intensifying <http://topics.cnn.com/topics/The_Taliban> Taliban insurgency. Clinton reiterated the U.S. concerns last week in a dinner meeting with Karzai. Clinton, who was in Kabul to attend Karzai's inauguration after his recent re-election, encouraged the Afghan president to seize the "clear window of opportunity" before him at a "critical moment" in Afghanistan's history. <http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?secondarySortBy=last24hours&sortBy=oncnn&sortOrder=2&numResults=12&filterBy=oncnn&topicId=356316> iReporters sound off; share your views on sending more troops in Afghanistan On Monday, the U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told reporters that the United States and other countries are increasing their civilian presence in Afghanistan to bolster efforts to stabilize the country. Asked about corruption, Holbrooke noted that some Afghan government ministers have "extraordinary records" of accomplishment. He said the United States will work with those ministers, while recognizing that years of civil war and social woes have weakened overall leadership capabilities in Afghanistan. "This is one of the main reasons we're increasing our civilian role," Holbrooke said. "And it's extremely delicate to get the mix right. We want to help the Afghans help themselves. We do not want to replace a sovereign government with internationals." Republican opponents are pushing Obama to quickly agree to McChrystal's reported request for up to 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan as part of a counterinsurgency strategy. "This won't be perfect or easy, but it will allow America's fighting men and women to leave Afghanistan with honor, and it will enable Afghans to build a better, more peaceful future," said a letter 10 Republican leaders sent to Obama on Veterans Day. CNN's Elaine Quijano and Mike Mount contributed to this report. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/24/us.afghanistan/index.html SEND OBAMA A MESSAGE: EMERGENCY ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATION Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 • 11 am • Washington DC Stop the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Escalation of the Afghan War! Lafayette Park | White House Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North Come hear Sen. Mike Gravel, Hon. Betty Hall, Cynthia McKinney (statement to be read), Granny D (turning 100, statement to be read), Ron Fisher, others TBA... Under Obama-Pelosi-Reid, the US has already sent about 35,000 more troops into the Afghanistan graveyard of empires. Now, Obama is debating another round of re-enforcements—an Afghan surge expected to number about 40,000 additional GIs. But there is a real faction fight in the administration about whether to escalate. Obama is getting plenty of advice from the war party—from Petraeus, McChrystal, and Mullen. It is time Obama, Pelosi, and Reid heard a clear message from a resurgent antiwar movement demanding no escalation and an immediate pullout of all US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, plus an immediate halt to Predator drone attacks and CIA operations in the region. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UK 9/11 & 7/7 Truth Network" group. Associated with the 9/11 Forum http://www.911forum.org.uk/ Good news sources http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?t=13410 To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/uk-911-truth -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- *** exposing the hidden truth for further educational research only *** CAVEAT LECTOR *** In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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