President Barack Obama plans to send thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and to set benchmarks for progress in fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban there and in Pakistan, administration officials said Thursday. The strategy, which Obama will announce today, includes sending 4,000 more U.S. military trainers to instruct Afghan security forces in addition to the 17,000 extra combat troops that he already ordered to Afghanistan shortly after taking office, administration and congressional officials said. In imposing conditions on the Afghans and Pakistanis, Obama is replicating a strategy used in Iraq two years ago to prod Iraqis to take more responsibility for quelling their insurgency.
Original post by AFP and software by Elliott Back