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Obama To Send 30,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

December 01, 2009

WEST POINT, New York (RFE/RL) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that he has decided to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to battle Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

In speech tonight to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York that was broadcast nationally, Obama said, "As commander-in-chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan."

Obama also said U.S. forces will seek to start leaving Afghanistan as early as July, 2011, after progress has been achieved to hand over security duties to Afghan forces.

In the speech, Obama said the war in Afghanistan has not been lost but the situation in the country has moved backward and huge challenges remain.

Obama said the Taliban has gained momentum, and Al-Qaeda continues to maintain safe-havens along the border with Pakistan.

Obama delivered his speech following a three-month review of U.S. strategy in the Afghan war, which was launched in late 2001 after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America.

Those attacks have been blamed on the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

The U.S. president said he did not make the decision to send thousands of more Americans to war lightly.

He said, "If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow."

Obama also said he was confident the allies of the United States would also send reinforcements, saying, "Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully."

NATO officials on Tuesday night said they expected member nations would send at least an additional 5,000 troops to Afghanistan.

(With agency reports)

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_To_Lay_Out_US_Exit_Strategy_For_Afghanistan/1892680.html

Copyright (c) 2009. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.