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Afghanistan: more troops may not be the answer, says Obama adviser
More troops may not be the answer to Nato's Afghanistan problems, a key adviser to President Barack Obama has said. National security adviser James Jones warned that extra troops could just be "swallowed up" in the deserts and mountains where troops are fighting. He was speaking as the president ponders a request to send 40,000 more soldiers to fight in the war, a decision which could prove one of the most crucial of his presidency.

In an interview published on Saturday, the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel asked Mr Jones whether he agreed with General Stanley McChrystal, the top United States and Nato commander in Afghanistan, that the troop increase was needed.

"Generals always ask for more troops," Mr Jones said.
Spoken like a Marine commandant.
"I believe we will not solve the problem with troops alone. The minimum number is important, of course. But there is no maximum number, however.

"You can keep on putting troops in, and you could have 200,000 troops there and Afghanistan will swallow them up as it has done in the past," he said, according to comments published by the magazine's website in English and German.
How does he suggest the war be won, then?
After weeks of internal deliberations, Obama's advisers are believed to be moving towards a hybrid strategy that would combine greater protection for population centres with more drone and special operations strikes against the Taliban.

The leading options under consideration would add at least 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. troops, but an announcement is expected to be weeks away.
Posted by: Fred 2009-11-08
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=282792