ASIA: Up to 30,000 more US troops in Afghanistan by mid-2009
21 Dec 2008 4:18 AM
KABUL, Dec 20 AFP - The United States plans to send between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan by mid-2009, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, said in Kabul on Saturday.
General David McKiernan, the US commander in Afghanistan, has asked for more than 20,000 extra US troops to counter a rise in insurgent violence, including four combat brigades, the aviation brigade and other support forces.
"The troops that were asked for in joint discussions with General McKiernan is what we're going to need for the foreseeable future. So I don't see an increase any higher at this point than 20 to 30,000," Mullen told reporters.
Mullen said he hoped the extra troops could be deployed by mid-2009.
