troop surge news stories on Newser

Petraeus for President: UK Journo

M. Morris — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:58:00 CDT

The American political parties are in shambles, and in the credibility gap that plagues voters and candidates alike, a dark horse is emerging: David Petraeus. The head of Central Command evokes Dwight Eisenhower, because not since Ike's heyday "have the chances of a military man winning the White House been...

Afghan War Killing More and More Iraq Veterans

Rob Quinn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:00:00 CST

The American death toll from the war in Afghanistan is nearing 1,000, according to the Pentagon's official death toll and already over it according to unofficial counts. The number of military personnel killed in Operation Enduring Freedom, which stood at 996 as of yesterday, includes a rising number of...

Obama Talks Afghan Strategy With Karzai

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:09:04 CST

President Obama spent an hour on the phone with Hamid Karzi this morning to discuss the new US policy for Afghanistan, a spokesman for the presidential palace reports. A close confidant of Karzai's who was with the Afghan president following the call said Karzai was happy with the videoconference conversation...

Obama Issues Orders for More Afghan Troops

Nick McMaster — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:20:49 CST

After weeks of deliberation, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan and ordered the military to carry it out. The exact size of the troop escalation has not been announced, but sources put the number in the neighborhood of 30,000 more troops. The...

Obama to Give Afghan Speech at West Point

Harry Kimball — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:11:30 CST

President Obama will announce his decision to send 20,000 to 40,000 more troops to fight in Afghanistan in a speech to West Point cadets next Tuesday at 8pm. His remarks will outline a surge, but administration officials say the president is not making a case for an open-ended...

In Afghanistan Debate, Obama Focuses on Exit

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:15:15 CST

The Obama administration’s extended ruminations on an Afghan surge aren’t really over how many troops to send in—they’re about how they’ll get those troops out. Obama’s main problem with the initial military plan was that it seemed too open ended, administration sources tell Gerald Seib of the Wall Street...

US Ambassador Disagrees on Afghan Troop Surge

Will McCahill — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:49:38 CST

The US ambassador to Afghanistan—a former general who served there as recently as 2007—is against increasing troop levels until the Afghan government gets its act together. In classified cables ahead of President Obama’s deliberations on a surge, Karl Eikenberry cites rampant corruption and mismanagement in Hamid Karzai’s administration....

CBS: Prez Will Grant McChrystal Troop Request

Rob Quinn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:50:00 CST

President Obama has decided to grant Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for a large and long-term increase in US forces in Afghanistan, according to CBS and AP , which cite "informed sources." The president will give the general almost all the troops he has asked for, boosting the size of the US...

Obama Eyes 30K+ Troop Surge

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:18:36 CST

President Obama is zeroing in on an Afghanistan strategy that likely includes sending in some 30,000 troops, reports Reuters —short of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's requested 40,000, but far greater than war-weary Democrats may support. An additional 4,000 trainers are likely to be sent, McClatchy reports, with the...