U.S. Troop Buildup Planned For Afghanistan

Heavy Spring Fighting Expected As Taliban Stages A Comeback

(CBS/AP)  This was a day families at Fort Drum in New York had been waiting for — soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division home after a year in Afghanistan, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

"We're just so excited that we survived our first year," said Jennifer McIver, wife of soldier Nicholas McIver. "And I'm sure we'll have many more to go, but it's nice to know that there was an end of it. There was an end."

But these families had not yet been told.

A brigade of the division — about 3,500 soldiers — is having its one year tour of duty extended, and some of these soldiers will have to go back to Afghanistan.

The Taliban is staging a comeback and more troops are needed for what is expected to be a spring of heavy fighting.

Meanwhile, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said Thursday that troops battling the resurgent Taliban will shortly be reinforced with another combat brigade.

Gen. David Richards said the brigade will consist of members of different nations participating in NATO's International Security Assistance Force. A brigade is typically 1,500 to 3,500 soldiers; Richards did not specify how many additional troops were expected.

It was unclear whether the increase announced by Richardson included the soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division. The U.S. military is a major contributor to the International Security Assistance Force.

But more troops in Afghanistan will not solve what U.S. officials say is the larger problem: the ability of the Taliban and al Qaeda to operate in the tribal areas of Pakistan, recruiting, training and planning cross- border operations.

"The attacks at this time of the year are up about 200 percent," says Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan.

Former CIA analyst Lisa Curtis says there is a growing frustration on Washington over the failure of Pakistan's President Musharraf to crack down on the tribal areas.

"If his own troops are incapable of dealing with this problem, then we need to see how we can help because it's too important of a problem to not address head on," Curtis tells Martin.

Last week a CIA drone and Pakistani helicopter gunships launched a missile strike on one suspected training camp, but every such attack triggers backlash against Musharraf.

One intelligence official tells CBS News that Osama bin Laden and other leaders of al Qaeda believed to be hiding in the Pakistani border area are now safer than they were a year ago.

[susanhelit]

About bleepn time! We don't need a surge in the country that never hurt us, we need to take out the Taliban and AlQueda over in Afghanistan. If some idiot hadn't been holding a grudge and wanted some oil, maybe we would have done it long ago!

[downtowner97]

Hey, what a great idea!
If any troops who have been in Afghanistan all this time are reading this, thanks for what you are doing. and thanks for what you have done. I'm sorry you're not in the popular war that gets in the news. We're very glad you're there. I mean absolutely no offense to the people in Iraq, but I have always felt that Afghanistan is and has been so important.

[migrainegram]

What a concept!

Word must have gotten out that Osama-Been-Forgotten had actually been forgotten. How many years has it taken to remember why we went over there in the first place?

Shame on King George!

[johnshaft4]

Of course, there is a troop build up to protect Bush's money from his Afghan/Bush Opium Drug Cartel.

Remember Iran-Contra Republican Cocaine?

[migrainegram]

How much do you want to bet that Iran will be next?

[rafterman1]

"About bleepn time! We don't need a surge in the country that never hurt us, we need to take out the Taliban and AlQueda over in Afghanistan."

True. If Afghanistan had 100,000 troops instead of 24,000, the Taliban could probably be controlled. The Taliban are not nearly as strong as the Iraqi insurgents, so a troop "surge" in Afghanistan might actually work. But then again, Afghanistan has no oil and few rebuilding contracts for Haliburton, so it will continue to be the poor redheaded stepchild of Bush.

[allgood34]

"If his own troops are incapable of dealing with this problem, then we need to see how we can help because it's too important of a problem to not address head on,"

***? Why do we need to help? Why can't we get out of countries we don't belong in and stop wasting billions of tax dollars on these third world sh*tholes? Last time I looked around we had issues here at home we need to address and spend tax dollars on like the homeless, unemployment, securing out borders and health care just to name a few. We are NOT the world's police.

Get that worthless POS we call our president out of office before he makes Bin Laden's goal of bankrupting America a reality and kills 3000 more soldiers in the process.

[johnshaft4]

Virtually EVERYTHING that Bush/Cheney has set out to do ("...last throes") has turned into a an abject failure. Why should their impending Iran fiasco be any different?

[bildooreilly]

This is what the government steals 1/3 of our income for... a bunch of ***... so they can make millions and billions in contracts. Meanwhile what do you get for your federal tax dollars? Not jack *** if you're a taxpayer.

[inventagod]

I believe the chances of a real terrorist meeting you and affecting your life directly is ZERO.
I more expect our government and the defense industry to find an infinite number of ways to spend our tax dollars on ways to justify their incomes...

[susanhelit]

I believe in little green fairies!


How about some facts instead.

[johnshaft4]

As pay back for the Israeli PNAC/AEI inspired WMD illusion Iraq lie WE should be GIVING 'robust' nukes to Iran for a a big time "final solution".

[bluestardad]

We should turn loose the Bounty Hunters and get Bin Laden then cut a deal with the Taliban.

[miltpan72]

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.

HMM?

[armywife10]

1 year ago my husband boarded a plane when I was 6 months pregnant. I was high risk, and spent the next 3 months on bedrest. We were incredibly lucky and he made it home for his r&r in May just 3 days before I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy. At the end of his 15 days, my husband kissed my son and I and boarded a plane again. Last night I attended a redeployment meeting where they exclaimed "your soldiers are coming home!" and today I found out ON THE NEWS that he was not.
These are people. My husbands presents are wrapped, and his party is planned. My 9 month old has been watching videos of daddy. Remember that.

[miltpan72]

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he has continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ...
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

HMM....THAT John Kerry?

[miltpan72]

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.

You don't say TEDDY?

[miltpan72]

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.

Very Interesting...I am detecting a theme here.

[armywife10]

And by the way... that defense budget- I'm fairly certain Bush vacations with it.
There was this policy that for every month past 365 days a soldier spends overseas they receive $1000. Tonight we were told that policy has been suspended because of "budget restrictions".
My husband makes a couple dollars an hour.
My husband's platoon BUILDS- yes, BUILDS, their own buildings and their own equipment overseas.

[miltpan72]

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.

And we know that Billy wouldn't lie....cause he's a democrat. Their ALWAYS right, and they don't lie!

[jn122736]

Remember the IRS collected last year the most in taxes EVER - even with the tax cuts!
Posted by badaxmofo at 08:59 PM : Jan 24, 2007

Spending increased far more than collected taxes, the national debt has doubled in the last 6 years, nearly $= Trillion in annual interest on the debt has to come out of those collected taxes EACH year.
You are bragging about cutting taxes in time of war and borrowing to finance both the war and the tax cuts, while the nation becomes $4 trillion dollars poorer.

[miltpan72]

By IRA STOLL
Staff Reporter of the Sun
January 26, 2006

A D V E R T I S E M E N T


A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.

The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book, "Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an interview yesterday with The New York Sun.

No way...I get on this site all the time and EVERYBODY knows that Bush lied. He lied because he's a republican and that's what they do.
Sadly....that IS the way most of the people that post on this site feel.
Sorry to bother you guys with QUOTES and ACTUAL FACTS

[miltpan72]

On 16 December 1998, Nancy Pelosi, a Congressional representative from California and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a statement concerning a U.S.-led military strike against Iraq:

As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.

[armywife10]

Are you even responding tho this article miltpan, or just making this your forum to make your point?
Because you've done so.

[miltpan72]

It does make for some interesting reading...even moreso when the names listed are the ones that try to gain political leverage now. I constantly read about how BUSH LIED to the people, yet all these people I listed were democrats. What did they do? Did they lie?
Neither side lied. They acted on the intelligence that was there at the time. They erred on the side of caution (AS THEY SHOULD HAVE) given the climate of our country after 9/11. To call BUSH a liar and forget what the democrats said at the same time is just laughable and yet I see it everyday in this website.

[miltpan72]

I am not here to argue....just post some facts that will not "fit" into the mindset of this website. By not "fit" I mean the general notion that Democrats are right and that BUSH is the reason for all that is bad in IRAQ.

[miltpan72]

But since you asked.....What do you make of all the names I listed and the quotes attached to them. Do they get a free pass or some kind of waiver due to their political affiliation?

[armywife10]

POLITICIANS LIE. to say democrats lie or republicans lie is silly. i dont think however that this is the forum to discuss bush's iraq policy, or who screwed up when it came to sending us there.

[armywife10]

i think politicians are generally (not always) bad people. they for the most part lie. they for the most part cheat.
they dont get a free pass, i hold our entire nation responsible for the wars.

theres an andy rooney quote if were going to quote... "Americans are puzzled over why so many people in the world hate us. We seem so nice to ourselves. They do hate us though. We know that and we're trying to protect ourselves with more weapons.

We have to do it I suppose but it might be better if we figured out how to behave as a nation in a way that wouldn't make so many people in the world want to kill us."
im a bit of a pacifist perhaps

[armywife10]

but i was under the impression that this article was about afghanistan, and being that my reunion with my husband that i was so excited about was just postponed 4 months, thats kind of what i came to check out.

[miltpan72]

POLITICIANS LIE?

I don't think that you can make blanket statements like this. Anymore than you can say BUSH lied while absolving people who voted for the war that were members of another political party. Plenty of democrats voted for war. It's not an easy war to win, but if we can get the government of Iraq up and running and continue to train their military adn police force then we will be able to pull out our troops gradually and the "insurgents" may not be filled with as much rage if there is actaully something of a foundation for a productive society there.

[johnshaft4]

Hey Miltpan-

Judging by your comments, have you been 'toe popping' some of that 500% bumper opium crop coming out of Afghan now that YOUR hero Bush is THE War/Drug Lord?

Bet that you are feelin' a little sleepy now that 'freedom and democracy' are on the march there, bet you want a 'power nap' 'bout now, huh?

[miltpan72]

We are starting to fight this war (afghanistan) a little smarter by warnning the governments of the neighboring countries that allow easy passage along the Afghan border.

[johnshaft4]

"Warn away" Miltpan...

The nuke armed Islamic Pakistanis (who are harboring Taliban) and probably giving safe haven to Bin laden are/look 'very, very afraid".

What did your mother do to you?

[armywife10]

yeah, you think we have the military to fight? is your ego as big as good old georges? honey the reenlistment rate in my husbands battalion was down 78%, and the divorce rate this past year- not including the next 4 months yet- 70%. you want to go fight an idea for the next 20 years? you go sleep on plywood and get shot at all day, but i think my son needs a daddy and i want my husband home. i dont think youre gonna find too many people willing to go do this much longer.

[armywife10]

and "starting to warn"? ***. the politics when it comes to pakistan are incredibly delicate and the amount we negotiate with them that you and i dont know about is huge. yes, they screw us over, and they are a huge part of the reason that my husband gets shot at so often. but they have allegiances- the guys they're fighting are their brothers.
warn, warn, warn. you think you know but you have no idea what any of it is about or what is going on.

[johnshaft4]

I can't believe that we have collectively allowed King George (and his PNAC/AEI co conspirator/traitors) to censor the photos of his handywork...coffins of 3,000+ flag drapped US soldiers.

[armywife10]

and as for blaming bush- while i think all politicians are scum- you have to be to do it- he is the scummiest. talking about stretching a military too thin- when they get back from this, his brigade heads to iraq. know why theyre stuck there? any other deployable troops, bush has requested for iraq. its easy for you to sit there and say all this... but you send the most important person in the world over there for a year and a half, you miss your kids first year, you miss your anniversary... they need to come home.

[netadmin1-2009]

ArmyWife10 -

I am impressed by your comments. It is hard on both sides - the wife at home and the husband fighting for all of us. I will say - the reason so many foreign countries hate us (this is just my opinion) - they really don't hate America. They hate us complaining so much about what they deem as luxuries. They would love to come over here and enjoy how much American's have. We take it all for granted though - they just hate the griping. might not be much - but it is my 2 cents worth.

[armywife10]

perhaps you cant even imagine it. hes been gone almost exactly a year, miltpan. i spend my days telling our 9 month old "daddys coming home!" and waiting by the phone to tell him how excited i am. i have done it all by myself for a year. he was ON HIS WAY HOME.
i dont think its a feeling you can understand. i handled a high risk pregnancy, a move, the bills, the housework, the baby raising, the up all nights... and i handled missing him. the crying all night, the feeling lonely.
you cant imagine how excited i was, and the emotions i felt about the reunion i was expecting in a few days.
and today, i turn on the news, and i find out that he is going to be in combat for 4 more months.

[netadmin1-2009]

ArmyWife10 - you are doing and have done a great job - keep it up. I guarantee you - your husband is so proud of you -

[armywife10]

oh yeah, i get the kisses from the baby. ive got it good :)
its just shocking to me that they can do this to real people. without notice. i worry about how it will affect my husband.
i also think people who come and complain about the war in terms of taxes or the next election need to come spend a week in my shoes.

take the yellow ribbon you spent $2 on when you filled up your gas tank with $40 of gas off your car. thats not doing your civic duty.
i hate those things.

[sigrun 79]

The one thing that bush should think about is the world what is affecting our world not just the us, like what is killing our world, global warming, starving children and many more important things.
I just don't like that guy, he just should stick with his golfing i think.

[armywife10]

i think we'd be much more likeable if we stopped policing the world, and started taking responsibility for the planet and the way we treat it.
thats my 2 cents. recycle :)

[sigrun 79]

The one thing that bush should think about is the world what is affecting our world not just the us, like what is killing our world, global warming, starving children and many more important things.
I just don't like that guy, he just should stick with his golfing i think.

[sigrun 79]

YES I LIKE THAT ARMY WIFE:)

[patriotic9]

netadmin1
If they really hate us because they are poor and we are rich then what is wrong with that guy OSAMA BEEN-FORGOTTEN.Do you think he is poor?What about 15 out of those 19 hijackers on 9/11 who were from the richest families of SAUDI ARABIA,had no Credit card or college Debt,were educated enough to learn flying and crashing planes into our buildings.
If you look at our foreing policies,you can easily figure out why they hate us so much that they can spend money,time and even their lives to kill us.Don't you know that we take OIL in cheaper prices from the ARABS and in return support and protect their those enemies who were brought into Palestine from different European countries after WWII to occupy the land of those Palestinians by force who had nothing to do with the CRIMES comited by HITLER.
The main reason for all the HATRED,TERRORISM and 9/11 against United States is the PSYCHOSIS called CHRISTIANITY according to which the sole purpose of the creation of GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS is to SERVE,BEING SLAVES and SERVANTS of the GOD-CHOSEN ENEMIES of THE GOD'S ONLY SON.As long as we don't kick GOD out of our POLITICS,we'll keep on suffering and the GOD who was sleeping on 9/11 will keep on sleeping as we are not born in the RACE or FAMILY CHOSEN by him.

[jabberwock11]

This really ticks me off. If we had gone in to Afghanistan in the first place with full force this whole thing would be settled by now. Everyone knew Bin Laden was there and everyone new the Taliban were supporting him. I even remember a statement by a Taliban leader that Bin Laden was their %u201Cguest%u201D. This was long before 9/11. But instead we send a paltry 14,000 some odd troops there, and then we send 150,000 to Iraq a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. As a result Bin Laden gets away and now we have two countries which aren%u2019t secured.

[netadmin1-2009]

patriotic9 - i don't know the answer to the bin ladin question you asked - i don't know how rich or poor he is - i do agree with you on the hatred and foreign policy stuff - i do think we misssed the boat on not capturing bin ladin -

[netadmin1-2009]

right on ArmyWife ---