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Obama's strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

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Submitted by IceCreamYou on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 3:44pm
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<a href="http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/27/obamas-strategy-for-afghanistan-and-pakistan/">CSMonitor</a> wrote:

President Obama unveiled a new Afghanistan and Pakistan strategy Friday that includes new troops — beyond the 17,000 additional US soldiers the president has already ordered ­ new civilian development personnel, and new aid.

But the plan also for the first time sets benchmarks – or, as the president preferred to call them, “metrics” – for US involvement in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, suggesting the military engagement is not open-ended and that both the Afghan and Pakistani governments must deliver on particular objectives. Those include reining in corruption for the Afghans and closing down Al Qaeda and Taliban safe havens for the Pakistanis.

Gates: Pakistan Question is "Most Worrisome"

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Submitted by IceCreamYou on Mon, 03/02/2009 - 6:11pm
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that he knows from experience that Afghani resistance forces' lawless hideouts in Pakistan will be the most difficult obstacle for U.S. forces in Afghanistan because the U.S. used similar Pakistani bases to support Afghan rebels in the 1980s.  Obama's administration is set to send almost 20,000 troops to Afghanistan as the war in Iraq winds down.

Government Commission on War Waste, Iraq

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Submitted by IceCreamYou on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 5:44pm
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A seven-member commission has begun meeting to try to recover what it says are billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on unnecessary or scrapped projects and fraud in Iraq, as well as to help the government learn from its mistakes so they are not repeated in Afghanistan, where operations will soon be ramped up.  First on the commission's agenda is a new report which details a number of failures "largely caused by waste and poor pre-war planning."

Obama: Decisions Soon on Iraq and Afghanistan

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Submitted by IceCreamYou on Wed, 01/28/2009 - 11:19pm
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Obama says he'll make some important decisions "relatively soon" on Iraq and Afghanistan, saying there was an urgent need to take action after a two-hour meeting with Robert Gates.  What do you think will happen?  Is he going to fulfill his campaign promise of a 16 month withdrawal from Iraq?  Is he going to actually succeed

Troop Increases in Afghanistan

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Submitted by IceCreamYou on Sat, 12/20/2008 - 7:55pm
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20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops will reportedly be sent to Afghanistan by early next summer.  According to Admiral Mike Mullen, "it's not a matter of if, but when."  The troops will complement the existing 31,000 already in Afghanistan, some of which are serving in the 51,000 strong NATO force.  The troop increases are a priority of Obama's and are in response to increased activity from the Taliban.

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