U.S. Plans a Shift to Focus Troops on Kabul Region

[Orwellian_Ghost]

In August, Afghan soldiers in Wardak Province secured the scene of a truck fire. The driver said he was attacked by the Taliban.


By KIRK SEMPLE
Published: December 6, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan — Most of the additional American troops arriving in Afghanistan early next year will be deployed near the capital, Kabul, American military commanders here say, in a measure of how precarious the war effort has become.

It will be the first time that American or coalition forces have been deployed in large numbers on the southern flank of the city, a decision that reflects the rising concerns among military officers, diplomats and government officials about the increasing vulnerability of the capital and the surrounding area.

It also underscores the difficult choices confronting American military commanders as they try to apportion a limited number of forces not only within Afghanistan, but also between Afghanistan and Iraq.

For the incoming Obama administration, a first priority will be to weigh which is the greater risk: drawing down American forces too quickly in Iraq, potentially jeopardizing the gains there; or not building up troops quickly enough in Afghanistan, where the war effort hangs in the balance as security worsens.

The new Army brigade, the Third Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., is scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan in January and will consist of 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers. The “vast majority” of them will be sent to Logar and Wardak Provinces, adjacent to Kabul, said Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, a spokeswoman for the American units in eastern Afghanistan. A battalion of at least several hundred soldiers from that brigade will go to the border region in the east, where American forces have been locked in some of the fiercest fighting this year.


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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/world/asia/07troops.html

[Uben]

1. Headed to Kabul

My daughters fiance is headed to Kabul next week. He has already served one tour in Iraq. He just re-enlisted for another two years to defend our nation. Say a prayer for him and all the other soldiers in harm's way. May they all come home safely and victorius.

[bemildred]

2. Yep, the sooner the better.

I hope he stays safe.

[bemildred]

3. Time to play "defend the capital". Yup, things are going great. nt