9,000 Marines to Helmand (Within Days) After Obama Speech (Doubling Presence)

[tekisui]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON — The US military will deploy up to 9,000 Marines to Afghanistan's Helmand province -- doubling US presence there -- in the days after President Barack Obama's war strategy announcement this week, the Washington Post said Saturday.

Citing senior US officials, the daily said the extra Marines won't move to the restive southern province until after Obama's address to the nation Tuesday from the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state.

The aim is to regain a footing in the region that has been a base for a fierce Taliban insurgency in recent months.

Some 1,000 army trainers will follow the Marine's deployment, perhaps by February next year, the Post said.

"The first troops out of the door are going to be Marines," General James Conway, the top Marine officer, was quoted as telling soldiers in Afghanistan on Saturday.

"We've been leaning forward in anticipation of a decision. And we've got some pretty stiff fighting coming," he said, according to the Post.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jSn01yJSlQn7tA37kPKxMxyvd5Qw

[tabasco]

1. Good.

Time to wipe out the Taliban - something Bush forgot to do.

[tekisui]

3. Huh?

We are making deals with the Taliban, giving them money and jobs.

[isurvivedit]

6. .....and 9,000 more brings a $9 billion price tag, per year...

...one million dollars plus, per soldier per year, they say, although it's not the money I care about.

Yeah, the whole thing is bullshit, any commitment means 9-10 more years...

[David Zephyr]

8. Amazing, huh?

We're bribing them left and right, "making deals" as you say.

Truth is always the first casualty in war. Nothing changes.

Your report was the first I've seen regarding troop movements.

This will accomplish nothing. I guess that pipeline is a hot ticket again.

[tabasco]

12. That's an untrue statement.

We are providing incentives for taliban foot soldiers to leave the taliban.

If they don't leave, they get wiped out with their leaders.

[LakeSamish706]

13. Really? And how is that working out so far? n/t

[knightinwhitesatin]

7. How do you

wipe out an indigenous tribal militia on their own turf? I may be one of those peeps going over there for the surge and I am less than thrilled. I've seen enough killing to last a lifetime.

[noamnety]

9. It's pretty easy, really

given that the taliban all wear name tags identifying themselves. ;)

[noamnety]

10. How will you know when that's done?

When all the male civilians are killed?

[isurvivedit]

2. I am so glad the president has finished dithering...

NOT.

[LakeSamish706]

4. More body bags on the horizon.... Just saying... This is Bullshit! n/t

[BeFree]

5. Odd case.

The people of Afghanistan are anarchist. And they live in the crossroads of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Its almost as if American Empire has this deep seated urge to bring them under control just to prove how big and bad we are.

And they have an urge to prove how bad they are.

We'll see who wins.

[LakeSamish706]

11. If previous conflicts in this country are any indication, Obama is going to get ...

his ass handed to him, just like the Russians did. This is so fucked up... ugh.

[Catshrink]

14. So now the Taliban will just head north

Kunduz has already seen a huge influx due to increased presence in the South. They kind of like the supply line running from Kyrgyzstan north of the Afghan border down into Kunduz -- tankers of fuel, food, etc. Hard to pass up. Hope they plan to send more troops up there to meet the Taliban. Better yet, how about not sending the 9000 to Helmand and just bring them all home. Afghanistan is unwinnable and ungovernable.

[David Zephyr]

15. Kicking this up so the war apologists can see what they are cheering for.

K&R.

Thanks, tekisui.

[chill_wind]

16. k & R.

[bigtree]

17. that'll do it

. . . what the hell good, I don't know :shrug:

[TexasObserver]

18. He's continually finding new ways to disappoint.

When they write of his presidency, this debacle in Afghanistan will be his shame - a shame that will overshadow whatever else he may do, which right now, seems very little.

[Whisp]

25. Obama has done a lot of positive things

there are lists around here posted, I guess you haven't seen them or are so intent on mewling and whining you can't recognize them.

but on Afghanistan, I agree that it is not what i want to see. I do not agree with Obama on this at all, but its no surprise as this is what he has been saying all along.

There may be a slim chance that his tactics will make some and better progress (? whatever the hell that could be in this case) compared to the reckless fuckup Bush was.

[TexasObserver]

26. That's clearly your opinion. You know what they say about opinions.

I've been involved in politics a long time, and I have the ability to accurately compare Obama with other Democratic presidents. So far, he's been wimpy. JFK, LBJ, Carter, Clinton - all better at this point than Obama. Surely you don't think he's better than Wilson, FDR, or Truman. That takes us back to the 19th century.

I'm happy for you to have an opinion, but not swayed by it.

[tekisui]

19. All of those who were saying to wait until a decision is made,

wait until the speech....

The plans have been in motion for some time. You can't ship out 9,000 Marines in days without preparation.

[mentalsolstice]

21. Yes you can deploy out quickly, see my post #20.

Until last Tuesday or Wed., my nephew thought he would be spending the holidays with his girlfriend and family, instead he's heading out this coming Wed. or Thursday.

[mentalsolstice]

20. My nephew is one of them.

He found out last Wednesday. He'll turn 21 tomorrow, Nov. 30, and he deploys on Dec. 2, or 3rd.

[tekisui]

24. I hope for a safe and timely return,

and comfort for your family in a hard time. My brother-in-law did three tours. It isn't easy, I know.

[mentalsolstice]

29. Thank you!

He only has 1.5 years in, so I expect we'll be going through this a few more times.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. More cannon fodder to a lost war to avoid bad PR.

We just can't have Rush say that our war president isn't as tough as theirs. Tooooo embarrassing.

[itsrobert]

23. I notice a group of Marines going house to house in Base Housing

here on Thanksgiving Day. Looks like a recall was in process. Many Marines were probably not at home on Thanksgiving so they weren't answering their phones. Their First Sgt probably told these Marines to go to their homes and make sure they were gone and not just not answering their phone.

[cali]

27. Fuck that. just fuck it and fuck Obama

I'm so sick of this stupid fruitless brutal mindless shitty war.

[Neecy]

28. I hear you

In order to "win" and keep in a central government that won't allow terrorist training camps on Afghan soil we'll have to literally occupy Afghanistan for a century.

It's just not possible. And during that 100 years the camps will just move to Pakistan, or the horn of Africa, or one of the Stans, wherever they can operate with impunity. We don't have enough troops to occupy half the world. This is insanity.

[tekisui]

30. Helmand is the most deadly province.

Expect an escalation of US deaths.