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US President Expected to Announce Afghanistan Policy Tuesday

VOA News 25 November 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama will announce his new strategy for Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The White House says the president will make his plans known in an evening address (0100 UTC) from the U.S. military academy at West Point, in the northeastern state of New York.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced President Obama's plans Wednesday.

Gibbs noted that U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan for eight years. He said the U.S. will not be in the country for another 8 or 9 years.

The White House spokesman also said President Obama will reveal his Afghanistan strategy to members of the U.S. Congress Tuesday, ahead of his address to the nation.

U.S. news organizations say President Obama is most likely to back a plan to send between 30,000 and 35,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal earlier this year told the president that up to 40,000 additional troops are needed to combat Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the region.

President Obama has been meeting with advisors and considering future U.S. strategy in the region. On Tuesday, Mr. Obama said he intends to "finish the job" in Afghanistan.

General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates are expected to testify before congressional committees in the days after Mr. Obama's announcement.

Public opinion polls in the United States show falling support for the eight-year war, but Mr. Obama said that once people understand his plan, they will be supportive.

This year has been the deadliest for foreign forces in Afghanistan since the conflict began eight years ago.

There are currently 68,000 U.S. troops in the country.

Britain earlier announced plans to send an additional 500 troops to Afghanistan if allies increased their contributions. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday the prime minister is optimistic that 10 other NATO allies will offer an additional 5,000 troops for the mission.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.