Top Military Officer: "Probably" Need More Troops in Afghanistan
Joint Chiefs chair says training isn't enough
Updated 2:59 AM CDT, Wed, Sep 16, 2009
President Obama’s top military officer told skeptical Democratic lawmakers Tuesday that the U.S. “probably” needs to send more troops to Afghanistan to win the war.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee he did not know how many troops would be needed for a surge, The Associated Press reported. He added that commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal would decide on the right number to request within weeks.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the committee’s head, said he opposed sending more troops and instead favored stepped-up training of Afghan forces. "Providing the resources needed for the Afghan Army and Afghan police to become self-sufficient would demonstrate our commitment to the success of a mission that is in our national security interest, while avoiding the risks associated with a further increase in U.S. ground combat troops," he said.
But Sen. John McCain, R-Az. and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. complained that not committing enough troops to Afghanistan would be a disastrous move.
Get more: MSNBC
First Published: Sep 16, 2009 2:29 AM CDT
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