Advisers to US President Barack Obama are preparing three options for escalating the war effort in Afghanistan, all of them calling for more US troops, as he moves closer to a decision on the way forward in the eight-year-old war, officials said on Saturday.
The options include General Stanley McChrystal’s request for roughly 40,000 more troops; a middle scenario sending about 30,000 more troops; and a lower alternative involving 20,000 to 25,000 reinforcements, according to the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Officials hope to present the options to Obama this week before he leaves on a trip to Asia.
While some civilian and military officials believe Obama is seeking a middle ground in the debate over Afghanistan, aides denied that he has made any decision or is leaning toward any of the options. Still, Defense Secretary Robert Gates appears to be supportive of the middle option, some officials said, and his view is thought to be pivotal because of Obama’s respect for him and his status as a holdover from a Republican administration.
The three options define the contours of a debate that has played out in public for more than two months. McChrystal and his advocates argue the war cannot be won without a major infusion of forces to protect the population and ultimately turn it against the Taliban. US Vice President Joe Biden and others oppose a buildup in a war they believe cannot be won through conventional means and that diverts attention from Pakistan, where al-Qaeda is primarily located. There are currently 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan.
The range of alternatives under discussion suggests that the president has rejected the extremes on either end — he appears inclined to send more troops, with the only question being how many. The options also suggest he is not seriously considering McChrystal’s highest proposal of 80,000 more troops.
OPPOSITION
Still, any of the options on the table would generate opposition on either the political left or right. If he approves anything less than McChrystal’s 40,000-troop option, Obama could face criticism from Republicans and some moderate Democrats, while any troop increase at all would provoke anger among liberals and others who have increasingly soured on the war.
McClatchy Newspapers reported on Saturday that Obama is nearing a decision to approve the middle option being drawn up by advisers, citing unnamed administration and military officials. White House officials denied that the president has made a decision or favors any of the options at this point, adding that they have not been formally presented to him. But administration officials confirmed that the 30,000-troop plan is under consideration.
If he were to go with that, Obama could try to make up the difference in what McChrystal wants by pressing NATO allies to do more. Britain has already agreed to send 500 more troops and four senior US officials flew to Brussels last week to brief representatives of other nations that have forces in Afghanistan, to solicit their views and build support for more help.
Advisers stressed that troop numbers are only part of the equation. The more important decision, they said, is figuring out a strategy that makes sense and then providing the proper resources to carry it out. To that end, officials are focusing on an approach predicated on the belief that the Taliban cannot be entirely eradicated in Afghanistan and that al-Qaeda is the real threat to US interests.
The main goal for US forces, then, would be to protect the 10 most important population centers in Afghanistan and keep the Taliban isolated and marginalized long enough to train Afghan security forces to take over the fight. But aides said Obama continues to ask what it would take to actually build such an Afghan force, given years of troubles with training programs.
Obama has met with his national security advisers seven times since McChrystal sent his assessment of the situation on Aug. 31.
WORTH THE SACRIFICE
The president’s departure for Asia was delayed so that he can fly to Fort Hood on Tuesday for a service commemorating the victims of last week’s mass shooting at the Army base in Texas.
Meanwhile, a senior British Army commander in Afghanistan says his troops are fighting and dying to promote regional political stability in a hotbed of terror — and says the cause is worth the sacrifice.
Lieutenant General Jim Dutton made his remarks following British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s warning that the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai must crack down on corruption to maintain the support of the international community. Karzai’s August re-election was marred by widespread allegations of ballot-box fraud.
“British soldiers are not dying simply to provide an electoral opportunity for Afghans,” Dutton told the British Broadcasting Corp in an interview being broadcast yesterday.
“There is much more to the provision of stability in this area of the world,” Dutton said, describing the Afghan intervention as “a project for which I have to say, yes, it is worth some soldiers having to die for. Because the consequences of it going wrong are far greater.”
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