Obama Administration Likely To Deploy Tens Of Thousands Of Troops To Afghanistan

Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON -- The election of Barack Obama will trigger a significant realignment of U.S. national-security priorities, with Afghanistan and Pakistan gaining in prominence as resources are redirected from Iraq.

U.S. policy in the two regions has been shaped by the Bush administration's decision to commit the bulk of the nation's military and financial resources to Iraq, where the ouster of Saddam Hussein set off a prolonged civil war, rather than to Afghanistan. The focus on Iraq left the Afghanistan mission chronically short of troops and money.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[raptor]

The photo above gives no real of the idea of the terrrain between Afghanistan ans Pakistan: steep slopes, narrow trails, little cover or concealment. No wonder they rely on "close" air-gound support, instead of humping a mortar base plate over hill and dale. It's more like attacking Los Padres Natiomal Forest, with a bit of the Santa Cruz Moutains, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Rockies thrown in. And that's just the terrain; never mind the people, our reliance on Afghan security forces, interpreters, etc. Too little troops too late?