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Obama 'to increase Afghan force' US rethinks Afghanistan strategy
(about 19 hours later)
US President Barack Obama plans to send an extra 4,000 US troops to Afghanistan to help train the Afghan security forces, US officials say. US President Barack Obama has confirmed a fundamental rethink of US strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan to combat an "increasingly perilous" situation.
They will reportedly be deployed later this year and come in addition to 17,000 troops already due to reinforce the 38,000 on the ground. He said growing radical forces in the area posed the greatest threat to the American people and the world.
US Senator Carl Levin said the latest extra troops could be deployed in June. He said an extra 4,000 US personnel would train and bolster the Afghan army and police, and he would also provide support for civilian development.
Mr Obama is expected to announce the extra commitment on Friday when he outlines his new Afghanistan strategy. The Afghan government said it welcomed "all [Mr Obama's] major conclusions".
Mr Levin was speaking outside the Senate after senators were briefed about Mr Obama's new strategy. In particular, it said it welcomed the "the recognition of the regional aspect of the problem in Afghanistan and specifically recognition that the al-Qaeda threat is mainly emanating from Pakistan," said presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada, according to Reuters news agency.
"There is a significant additional training group that will be going I think in June," he told reporters. class="bodl" href="#map"> See map of troop deployments
Asked if the number of American trainers was 4,000, he replied: "I won't disagree with that." Bleak picture
Mr Obama has also briefed Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the new strategy by telephone. President Obama said his "comprehensive new strategy" was an outcome of a "careful policy review" in which military commanders and diplomats, regional governments, partners, Nato allies, NGOs and aid organisations were consulted.
The Afghan leader has been defending himself against allegations that corruption is widespread within his government and is fuelling the country's instability. We have a clear and focussed goal - to disrupt and defeat al-Qaeda and prevent their return Barack Obama class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7967002.stm"> Change of plan class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7967194.stm"> UK considers troop boost class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6278&edition=2&ttl=20090327122804"> Send us your comments
Mr Karzai said on Thursday that such charges were exaggerated and politically motivated. He painted a bleak picture of the situation, with insurgents increasing their control of territory in the region and attacks rising.
'New idea' He said American strategy must relate directly to the threat posed to the Americans by al-Qaeda and its allies - who, he reminded his listeners, were behind the 9/11 attacks on American soil eight years ago.
Mr Obama said earlier in the week that he was seeking "an exit strategy". And he said multiple intelligence estimates suggested fresh attacks on the US were being planned.
"There's got to be a sense that this is not a perpetual drift," he told US TV channel CBS. But he said targeting al-Qaeda was not only in the interests of American people, but populations around the world and Afghans themselves.
The broad outlines of Mr Obama's new strategy are already clear, the BBC's Adam Brookes reports. He said US forces should not be in Afghanistan to "control that country or dictate its future", but to "confront our common enemy".
The war will continue for some time to come and the US will encourage Nato allies to step up their military effort too while non-Nato countries will be asked to at least not oppose it. 'Not just bombs'
Washington will also try to draw Afghanistan policy and Pakistan policy into a coherent whole, our correspondent says. To achieve its goals, Mr Obama said, the US needed:
Eventually, the US hopes Afghan security forces will take over security operations and allow foreign forces to draw down.
    class="bulletList" >
  • >A "stronger, smarter and more comprehensive strategy"
  • >Not to deny resources to Afghanistan because of existing commitments to Iraq - and here international help was needed
  • >To recognise the connection between the future prospects of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Our correspondent adds that Mr Obama may also seek, after seven years of operations, to explain America's goals. He said that Richard Holbrooke had already been appointed as the US envoy to both Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to facilitate this new shared perspective on both countries.
As the "Global War on Terror" fades from our lexicon, he may set out a unifying idea to replace it, Adam Brookes says. And he said Pakistan would need American help in going after al-Qaeda, which Mr Obama admitted was "no simple task".
Have Your Say It is time to negotiate peace with the Taliban Joe, Arlington, Virginia
But he said this would not amount solely to "bombs and bullets", adding that the success of this plan depended on the strength of the Pakistani government.
So, he said, he was calling upon Congress to pass a bill authorising a tripling of US spending in Pakistan to $1.5bn (£1.05bn) each year over the next five years, to help rebuild "schools, roads and hospitals".
But he said this was "no blank cheque" - and Pakistan would have to show its own commitment to rooting out the "cancer" of al-Qaeda and its allies.
In addition to the 17,000 troops whose redeployment to Afghanistan from Iraq have already been announced, Mr Obama said a further 4,000 US troops would be sent there to help train up the Afghan army and police.
He said additional help for training would also be sought from Nato allies in order to build an Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000.
In addition, he said, US agricultural specialists, engineers and lawyers would be sent to help reinforce Afghanistan's crumbling civilian infrastructure.
LEAD INTERNATIONAL FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN Locations refer to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Total contributing nations: 42 ISAF total strength: Approx 61,960 See total number of troops in Afghanistan
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