Pentagon Extends Afghanistan Tours

Defense Department Extends Combat Tours For 2,200 Marines By 30 Days After Promising For Months To Bring Them Home On Time

(AP)  The U.S. Defense Department has extended the combat tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.

The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile southern region, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.

Military leaders as recently as Wednesday stressed the need for additional troops in Afghanistan. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has praised the work repeatedly of the 24th MEU in fighting Taliban militants in Helmand Province.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has said repeatedly he did not intend to extend or replace the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, calling their deployment there an extraordinary, one-time effort to help tamp down the increasing violence in the south.

Asked about the possibility of an extension in early May, Gates said he would "be loath to do that." He added that "no one has suggested even the possibility of extending that rotation."

Lapan said Thursday that commanders in Afghanistan asked that the Marines stay longer.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the longer tour does not open the door to an extension beyond the 30 days, nor to the possibility of replacing them with other U.S. troops when they come out in November. "This is a slight addition to this tour and nothing more," he said.

He added that commanders in Afghanistan "asked for 30 more days to milk the fighting season to the bitter end and cement the gains they have made in the south."

The Pentagon announced in January that the Marine Expeditionary Unit was being ordered to Afghanistan, largely because efforts to press other NATO nations to increase their troop levels at the time had failed.

At the same time, about 1,000 members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, was ordered to deploy also. That unit has been used to train Afghan security forces. As a result of the MEU's extended deployment, Marines from both units are now expected to return home at about the same time.

The Pentagon announced in January that the MEU was being ordered to Afghanistan, largely because efforts to press other NATO nations to increase their troop levels at the time had failed.

Commanders faced with increasing violence have said they need at least 7,500 more troops in Afghanistan. And President George W. Bush and defense officials have said they hope to identify additional units by the end of the year that could go to Afghanistan early next year.

"The Taliban and their supporters have, without question, grown more effective and more aggressive in recent weeks ..., as the casualty figures clearly demonstrate," Mullen told a Pentagon press conference Wednesday.

He added, "It's a very complex problem, and it's tied to the drug trade, a faltering economy and, as I've said many times, the porous border region with Pakistan. There's no easy solution, and there will be no quick fix."

There are 32,000 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, 14,000 serving with the NATO-led coalition and 18,000 conducting training and counterinsurgency.

The NATO force includes more than 52,000 troops from as many as 40 countries.

[reptilian96]

FOX NEWS discovered the presence of a massive spy ring inside the United States run by the government of Israel. This seems a harsh gratitude from a nation which obtains 10% of its annual budget from the American taxpayer, $3+ billion a year. Over the years, American taxpayers have been required to send Israel more than four times what the US spent to go to the moon.

[samsel3]

And the extermination continues............

More than a year and half before 911 the CIA Special Activities Division was conducting operations in Afghanistan, trying to topple the Taliban regime for the Caspian Sea Oil & Gas Pipelines...........We now call such activities terror.



February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.

In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".

The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) .
The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"

UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".

[meganthatch]

Afghans are dirty ungreatful animals. Let them fend for themselves. Get our boys and girls out of that hell hole. There is nothing to win there, just loose.
www.theseriouspolice.com

[whiskyrocker]

cyberus:

Good point.

[cyberus-2009]

----
Nothing worse than a pi$$ed off marine except maybe a woman scorn.

Posted by whiskyrocker
----

Better look out for the female Marines then .. double whammy

[komoncents]

BUSH IS A WAR CRIMINAL.

ALL ELSE ARE SUB-TOPICS.

Posted by ajaxtheleast at 12:47 PM : Jul 04, 2008

CEPT CHENEY IS ALSO A WAR CRIMINAL

WAR CRIME TRIALS FOR THEM BOTH - FOR GENOCIDE

and for God''s sake don''t let your kids sign up to die for these bloodthirsty ***!

[samsel3]

And the extermination continues............

More than a year and half before 911 the CIA Special Activities Division was conducting operations in Afghanistan, trying to topple the Taliban regime for the Caspian Sea Oil & Gas Pipelines...........We now call such activities terror.



February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.

In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ". The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"

UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".

[watcher269-2009]

AGAIN - the White House and the Pentagon go back on their words.

Liars all of them -

Government is supposed to be by the people for the people -


SUCKERS!

By the Rich for the Rich!

You''re all just cannon fodder!

[it_oldtimer]

Let this be a warning to anybody that is thinking about joining the military.

Once they have your name on the enlistment contract they OWN you, lock, stock and barrel. And they don''t have to let you go home again until they''re damned good and ready (if you live long enough to qualify to ever go home again at all).

Beware!

[randynason]

Here we go, all over again. The Great, White Military Machine has spoken. All we need now is Nero playing his fiddle, while Washington burns. Does George "the Wank" Bush know how to fiddle?