Senior U.S. Military Officer Talks of More Troops for Afghan War

On the same day that a poll revealed growing opposition amongst the American public to the war in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. military officer spoke of the probable need to deploy more troops to the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was testifying before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee when he suggested that more troops than those already committed to the war in Afghanistan will probably be necessary if the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda is to be a successful one. As the Earth Times reports Admiral Mullen was appearing before the Senate committee as it met to consider his appointment for a second term as the leading U.S. military official when he said:

A properly resourced counterinsurgency probably means more forces, and without question, more time and more commitment to the protection of the Afghanistan people and to the development of good governance

The Admiral was unable to give specific numbers but confirmed that General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, was likely to ask for more troops in the very near future. According to the Voice of America 68,000 U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan by the end of the year, the current number is 62,000. Last year troop numbers in Afghanistan were only half what they are now. President Obama decided earlier in the year that 17,000 more combat troops and 4,000 more trainers should be deployed to Afghanistan. But that deployment, the final elements of which should have arrived in the Central Asian country by the end of September, has had little success so far in putting an end to the activities of the Taliban. And Admiral Mullen fears that if the Taliban regains power in Afghanistan al-Qaeda, which he says is now based in Pakistan, will return to the country and be able to plan their operations with impunity. Opinions on the Senate committee are divided as to whether extra troops should be sent to Afghanistan. Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the committee, believes that more focus should be placed on training up Afghan forces before committing more U.S. troops to the conflict. Senior Republican on the committee John McCain thinks however that lessons should be learned from the success of the surge in Iraq and if even more troops are required then they should be sent sooner rather than later. Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 it is estimated that over 1,300 members of the U.S.-led coalition have lost their lives and over 4,000 have been wounded, with 2009 being the deadliest year for those forces since the conflict began. Reports on the actual number of U.S. deaths can vary but on Tuesday the New York Times, quoting figures released by the Defense Department, said that since late 2001, 756 U.S. military personnel have been killed whilst operating in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.