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President expected to deploy 32,000 to 35,000 additional troops
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
U.S. Army soldiers patrol near the town of Baraki Barak, Afghanistan, on Monday.
View related photos
Video
Announcement on troops coming 'shortly'
Nov. 24: President Barack Obama said he would reveal his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan "shortly."
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Video: White House
Obama: Announcement on troops coming 'shortly'
Nov. 24: President Obama said he would reveal his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan 'shortly'.
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Obama close to troop decision
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Nov. 22: Sens. Dick Durbin., Dianne Feinstein, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Joe Lieberman discuss the decision.
Meet the Press
updated 2:55 p.m. ET Nov. 24, 2009
WASHINGTON - Signaling an imminent decision on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.
The president said he would announce his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.
The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama next week, either Tuesday or possibly Wednesday, in a national address. Congressional hearings will follow immediately.
Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 additional U.S. forces to the eight-year-old conflict. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama's last large war council meeting early this month, when he told military planners to rearrange the timing and composition of some of the deployments.
With the war worsening since Obama took office in January and public support dropping as U.S. combat deaths have increased, the president seemed aware he has a lot to explain to the public.
"I feel confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said at a White House news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"It is my intention to finish the job," he said of the war in Afghanistan that has been going on for eight years since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
Entry and exit plan
Obama held his 10th and final war council meeting Monday night. In response to a question about his coming announcement, he sketched out the areas, but not the specifics, of what he will talk about.
He suggested he intends to explain in some detail not only how many more troops he will deploy to Afghanistan and the other civilian and diplomatic elements of an overhauled strategy, but also how the United States might ultimately leave Afghanistan. When he ordered advisers to rethink the options presented to him, it was mainly to clarify when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government and under what conditions.
"It's going to be very important to recognize that the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security, and so we'll be discussing that process whereby Afghan security forces are properly trained and equipped to do the job," Obama said, previewing his remarks next week.
Obama must not only sell his plan to the public, but to foreign allies whose additional resources the White House wants in Afghanistan. The president bluntly said Tuesday he would talk in his announcement about "the obligations of our international partners in this process."
The timing of his address is tied in part to come before a NATO foreign ministers meeting, taking place in Brussels at the end of next week.
Obama also must pitch his plan to Congress, where lawmakers will be asked to finance the effort.
Among those likely to take part in congressional hearings are Obama's top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, as well as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. All four were among approximately 20 top administration officials and Obama advisers participating in the president's final deliberations Monday night.
"It is in our strategic interests, in our national security interest to make sure that al-Qaida and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," Obama said. "We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks."
Click for related content
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Democrats at odds
Reflecting the waning popular support for continued or escalated war, Democrats are coming to dislike the conflict in greater numbers. Democratic allies of the president, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, have become more outspoken on the war in recent days.
The force infusion expected by the military would represent most but not all the troops requested by McChrystal, for a retailored war plan that blends elements of the commander's counterterror strategy with tactics more closely associated with the CIA's unacknowledged war to hunt down terrorists across the border in Pakistan.
McChrystal presented options ranging from about 10,000 to about 80,000 forces, and told Obama he preferred an addition of about 40,000 atop the 68,000 already in the country, officials have said.
Obama already has ordered a significant expansion of 21,000 troops since taking office.
The additional troops would be concentrated in the south and east of Afghanistan, the areas where the U.S. already has most of its forces, military officials said. The new troops that already went this year were directed to help relieve U.S. Marines stretched to the limit by far-flung postings in Helmand province and that would continue, while the U.S. effort would expand somewhat in Kandahar. Both are hotbeds of resistance to the U.S. forces.
The increase would include at least three Army brigades and a single, larger Marine Corps contingent, officials said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is not final.
CONTINUED : Two years for full deployment?
1 | 2 | Next > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34123718/ns/politics-white_house/?gt1=43001
Dario Lopez-Mills / APU.S. Army soldiers patrol near the town of Baraki Barak, Afghanistan, on Monday.
View related photos
Nov. 24: President Barack Obama said he would reveal his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan "shortly."
NBC News
Afghanistan in pictures
PANOS
Saving lives on the front linePhotographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
Human toll of addictionA look at how narcotics have ravaged Afghanistan and a detox center helping users.
AP
On the front linesSoldiers are fighting to suppress the Taliban and win over the Afghan people.
The origins of the war, the battles, and struggle for stability
Afghanistan's tumultuous history
World Blog: Kabul, Afghanistan
Highly touted, but misguided ideas about Afghanistan
Afghan girls burn themselves to escape marriage
Most popular
Most viewed<img scr="/images/cleardot.gif" height="1" width="2"> Top rated<img scr="/images/cleardot.gif" height="1" width="2"> Most e-mailedIs Obama's star dimming as U.S. stock drops?
Ky. census worker killed himself, police say
Flight attendant jets from gray to gorgeous
Child entrepreneur gives back for holidays
Filmmaker gives $1 million to NAACP
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Nailed: EPA finally ties toxic water to old mine
Thousands of new species found in deep sea
Predatory fish are nearing Great Lakes
Subway carries 3-year-old boys dad away
Fired therapist: Stressed Marines got bad care
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Is Obama's star dimming as U.S. stock drops?
Child entrepreneur gives back for holidays
Ky. census worker killed himself, police say
Study: Stifling anger at work can be dangerous
Filmmaker gives $1 million to NAACP
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Nov. 24: President Obama said he would reveal his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan 'shortly'.
Looking back at memorable state dinners
Obama close to troop decision
Obama: U.S., India share 'deep bonds'
Get the NBC tweets from D.C. widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) Follow @msnbc_politics for more news from D.C.
Check out historical info, photos, and panoramic images.
Help figure out who has been visiting the White House during the first eight months of the Obama administration.
[ame="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/34092467#34092467"]
[/ame]
[ame="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/34092467#34092467"]Afghan obligation?[/ame]
Nov. 22: Sens. Dick Durbin., Dianne Feinstein, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Joe Lieberman discuss the decision.
Meet the Press
WASHINGTON - Signaling an imminent decision on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.
The president said he would announce his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.
The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama next week, either Tuesday or possibly Wednesday, in a national address. Congressional hearings will follow immediately.
Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 additional U.S. forces to the eight-year-old conflict. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama's last large war council meeting early this month, when he told military planners to rearrange the timing and composition of some of the deployments.
With the war worsening since Obama took office in January and public support dropping as U.S. combat deaths have increased, the president seemed aware he has a lot to explain to the public.
"I feel confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said at a White House news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"It is my intention to finish the job," he said of the war in Afghanistan that has been going on for eight years since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
Entry and exit plan
Obama held his 10th and final war council meeting Monday night. In response to a question about his coming announcement, he sketched out the areas, but not the specifics, of what he will talk about.
He suggested he intends to explain in some detail not only how many more troops he will deploy to Afghanistan and the other civilian and diplomatic elements of an overhauled strategy, but also how the United States might ultimately leave Afghanistan. When he ordered advisers to rethink the options presented to him, it was mainly to clarify when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government and under what conditions.
"It's going to be very important to recognize that the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security, and so we'll be discussing that process whereby Afghan security forces are properly trained and equipped to do the job," Obama said, previewing his remarks next week.
Obama must not only sell his plan to the public, but to foreign allies whose additional resources the White House wants in Afghanistan. The president bluntly said Tuesday he would talk in his announcement about "the obligations of our international partners in this process."
The timing of his address is tied in part to come before a NATO foreign ministers meeting, taking place in Brussels at the end of next week.
Obama also must pitch his plan to Congress, where lawmakers will be asked to finance the effort.
Among those likely to take part in congressional hearings are Obama's top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, as well as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. All four were among approximately 20 top administration officials and Obama advisers participating in the president's final deliberations Monday night.
"It is in our strategic interests, in our national security interest to make sure that al-Qaida and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," Obama said. "We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks."
Click for related content
U.S. gives millions as Afghans target poppies
NYT: Obama eyes costs of Afghan decision
Democrats at odds
Reflecting the waning popular support for continued or escalated war, Democrats are coming to dislike the conflict in greater numbers. Democratic allies of the president, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, have become more outspoken on the war in recent days.
The force infusion expected by the military would represent most but not all the troops requested by McChrystal, for a retailored war plan that blends elements of the commander's counterterror strategy with tactics more closely associated with the CIA's unacknowledged war to hunt down terrorists across the border in Pakistan.
McChrystal presented options ranging from about 10,000 to about 80,000 forces, and told Obama he preferred an addition of about 40,000 atop the 68,000 already in the country, officials have said.
Obama already has ordered a significant expansion of 21,000 troops since taking office.
The additional troops would be concentrated in the south and east of Afghanistan, the areas where the U.S. already has most of its forces, military officials said. The new troops that already went this year were directed to help relieve U.S. Marines stretched to the limit by far-flung postings in Helmand province and that would continue, while the U.S. effort would expand somewhat in Kandahar. Both are hotbeds of resistance to the U.S. forces.
The increase would include at least three Army brigades and a single, larger Marine Corps contingent, officials said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is not final.
CONTINUED : Two years for full deployment?
1 | 2 | Next > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34123718/ns/politics-white_house/?gt1=43001
