The US is to deploy an extra 30,000 troops to the war Afghanistan, Barack Obama has said, unveiling his plans for turning around the eight-year old war in the country.
In a speech to the US naval academy in West Point on Tuesday, the US president said the increased deployment was in the "vital national interest" of the US, and would pave the way to the start of a US pull out beginning in mid-2011.
Laying out a new strategy he said the plans would bring the war in Afghanistan to a "successful conclusion" and transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
"These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan," Obama told an audience of naval cadets.
He said that after extensive consultations he had determined that the extra deployment was essential to achieving US goals.
"Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards," he said, pointing to increasing gains by Taliban fighters and deteriorating security across the country.
"I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Obama said.
He began his speech recalling the origins of the war following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, saying the US had not asked for the war in Afghanistan.
"It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak," he said.
"This is no idle danger; no hypothetical threat."
But, he added, the US had no interest in fighting an endless war in the country.
"It must be clear that Afghans will have to take responsibility for their security," he said.
Source: Al Jazeera
In a speech to the US naval academy in West Point on Tuesday, the US president said the increased deployment was in the "vital national interest" of the US, and would pave the way to the start of a US pull out beginning in mid-2011.
Laying out a new strategy he said the plans would bring the war in Afghanistan to a "successful conclusion" and transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
"These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan," Obama told an audience of naval cadets.
He said that after extensive consultations he had determined that the extra deployment was essential to achieving US goals.
"Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards," he said, pointing to increasing gains by Taliban fighters and deteriorating security across the country.
"I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Obama said.
He began his speech recalling the origins of the war following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, saying the US had not asked for the war in Afghanistan.
"It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak," he said.
"This is no idle danger; no hypothetical threat."
But, he added, the US had no interest in fighting an endless war in the country.
"It must be clear that Afghans will have to take responsibility for their security," he said.
Source: Al Jazeera
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