Jones, Mullen Apparently At Odds Over Afghanistan Troop Levels
McClatchy
reports that after "hearing a 'drumbeat' for more troops," White House National
Security Adviser James L. Jones has "told US commanders in Afghanistan that they
won't get any more troops this year beyond what" President Obama "already has
promised." Jones "told McClatchy in an exclusive interview Wednesday that he'd
told commanders on the ground that the time for debate was over three months ago
and that it's time to implement the new three-step plan with the troops already
committed, plus a renewed emphasis on economic development and the rule of law."
Meanwhile, the
Washington
Post reports Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, "said yesterday that no limits have been placed on the number or types of
troops the new US commander in Afghanistan can request as he seeks to carry out
a counterinsurgency strategy
there."
The discrepancy comes as the
AP
reports, "Thousands of US Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops moved into
Taliban-infested villages with armor and helicopters Wednesday evening in the
first major operation under President Barack Obama's revamped strategy to
stabilize Afghanistan." Dubbed "Operation Khanjar, or 'Strike of the Sword,'
the military push was described by officials as the largest and fastest-moving
of the war's new
phase."
The
Washington
Post says "the operation will involve about 4,000 troops from the 2nd
Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which was dispatched to Afghanistan earlier this
year by...Obama to combat a growing Taliban insurgency in Helmand and other
southern provinces." The
New York
Times reports that "Helmand is one of the deadliest provinces in
Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters have practiced a sleek, hit-and-run
guerrilla warfare against the British forces who have been based
there."
US Troops To Limit Risks To Civilians
McClatchy,
meanwhile, reports that beginning today, "American soldiers in Afghanistan will
be under orders to back down when they're chasing Taliban fighters whenever they
think that civilians might be at risk." Gen. Stanley McChrystal "will issue the
directive as part of an effort to cut down on civilian casualties, which have
enraged the Afghan government and
residents."
