[quote]President Barack Obama is to tell the American people that US troops will start to leave Afghanistan within three years, a senior official has said.
He will outline the rough withdrawal plan in a speech to the nation, when he will also announce a rapid six-month deployment of 30,000 extra soldiers.
Mr Obama has also asked Nato allies to send up to 10,000 more combat troops.
But France has refused, while Germany postponed any decision. The UK has agreed to send 500 more soldiers.
In Tuesday evening's much-anticipated speech at West Point military academy, Mr Obama is expected to make an accelerated troop surge the centrepiece of his new strategy for Afghanistan.
A senior administration official told AP news agency President Obama would outline a plan for US troops to start leaving Afghanistan "well before" his first term ends in 2012.
The US currently has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, with foreign forces overall totalling more than 100,000.
A senior Pentagon official told the BBC the new troops would be made up of 9,000 Marines and 21,000 regular soldiers, including trainers.
Mr Obama has reached his deployment decision after more than three months of deliberations and 10 top-level meetings with advisers.
The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington says the American people will be anxious to hear in this hugely important speech how the president intends to get out of Afghanistan.
'Quick punch'
Rising violence - more than 900 US soldiers have died there - and the chaos of August's discredited elections have fanned mounting domestic opposition to the eight-year-old war.
OBAMA's SCHEDULE
2100 GMT: Meets Congressional leaders at White House
2230 GMT: Departs for West Point, New York
0100 GMT Weds: Address to the nation
0340 GMT Weds: Arrives back at the White House
Marines train for Afghanistan
Afghans sceptical on new troops
Mixed feelings in Afghanistan
Earlier this year, the US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, warned America risked failure unless troop numbers were increased. He requested 40,000 more soldiers.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told MSNBC on Tuesday: "This is not an open-ended commitment, what we are doing is putting forward a comprehensive strategy and an end-game in Afghanistan."
He said the deployment would be accelerated to "deliver a punch quickly".
The US president outlined his new strategy to Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in an hour-long video conference on Tuesday morning.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says that while the speech will probably receive a cautious welcome from the Afghan government, many people in the country do not want any more foreign forces.
They say every time America sends more troops the security situation gets worse, and some question why the US is spending billions of dollars on the military - and not on aid and reconstruction.
An unnamed Nato diplomat told AP news agency on Tuesday that President Obama had asked European allies to contribute between 5,000 and 10,000 new troops to Afghanistan.
But President Nicolas Sarkozy's special envoy to Afghanistan told AFP news agency France had ruled out sending more troops, although Paris might send military trainers.
In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference Germany would wait until after a 28 January conference in London on Afghanistan before deciding on any troop increases.
Italy has also said it will increase its force, although without saying by how much.
On Monday, Britain confirmed it was sending 500 more troops, taking the UK's total deployment there to 10,000.[/quote]
[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8388939.stm[/url]
Can't see it happening myself
didn't they say that 3 years ago?
ugh disgusting; get the fuck out troops, we want you back home! :(
i have a friend who's in afghanistan right now - come back baby! :(
A quick deployment of troops and pulling them all back three years later?
Von Schlieffen is rolling in his grave.
Is he trying to upset his followers?
[QUOTE=Adbor;18683628]A quick deployment of troops and pulling them all back three years later?
Von Schlieffen is rolling in his grave.[/QUOTE]
They're only deploying the extra troops because the US was accused of 'purposely' not finding Osama
If all goes to plan they should use the force they've got to crack down places where he and his little friends might be hiding and the searches will be a lot faster this time around.
Yes, they are going to pull out the current ones within three years and then more troops will take their places.
When are we going to try and win a war, and not try to win peace?
[QUOTE=j-richardson;18683653]They're only deploying the extra troops because the US was accused of 'purposely' not finding Osama
If all goes to plan they should use the force they've got to crack down places where he and his little friends might be hiding and the searches will be a lot faster this time around.[/QUOTE]
That makes sense. Unless it turns out it [b]wasn't[/b] a deliberate failure and they get to stay there indefinitely.
Yeah, just like the article says, we need to stop spending $0.6 trillion on the military every year and pay for things that actually matter. Ending the war and pulling out all the troops, even in that 3 year deadline, would be a great step towards this.
Too bad it'll never happen and we'll probably be waging this pointless war straight through the next presidential term. :smile:
[QUOTE=redonkulous;18683676]When are we going to try and win a war, and not try to win peace?[/QUOTE]
Quote for truth.
[QUOTE=redonkulous;18683676]When are we going to try and win a war, and not try to win peace?[/QUOTE]
you mean when are we going to try and win peace, and not try to win war.
2012
Whats it matter anyway. Where always at war with someone. If its not them it will be some other country
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;18683641]Is he trying to upset his followers?[/QUOTE]
All of his extreme left followers are already angry he's not holding up to his promises fast enough for them. Right wings just hate him from the start, everyone in the middle's wondering what the fuck is going on with these extremists on both sides.
Obama's a fucking idiot...
Sounds good Mr. Prezident! I'll just look past the sheer convenience of this time line practically lining up with your attempt to get re-elected and say a job well done.
When I read the title I thought it was about sex for a minute :v:
They'll invade Saudi Arabi for Oil in 2011.
Then 5 years later the troops will be in Afghanistan teaching the locals how to shoot.
Then some American CIA agents attack an Airport in Russia. Then Russia pulls off an Invasion of the USA in a day via air drop. Some stuff was happening in Rio, but nobody cares about Rio. Then some Gulag was blown up in Russia, but nobody cares about that because America is getting raped. Then the Russians fire a nuke over America to act as an EMP. The ISS went offline and was never heard of again, Aliens?
Anyway, then two Task Force 141 soldiers went AWOL and tried to kill this General Shepherd bloke, then there was some fighting in the Afghan mountains. The General was never seen again after his helicopter fell in a river, his pilot and gunner were found shot dead near the wreckage. The two Wanted soldiers were not seen again, but rumours have it that they are staying in a safe house in Eastern Europe. and in other news, the wreckage of a freight ship that was lost 5 years ago in the Bering straight has been found.
The US can really go a long time without pulling out.
I mean I am like 45 minutes at my maximum.
We're never getting out of that stupid fucking country.
[QUOTE=Perfumly;18684982]The US can really go a long time without pulling out.
I mean I am like 45 minutes at my maximum.[/QUOTE]
But you aren't in the armed forces. They don't really have a choice once they sign that dotted line, but they are also trained for it.
[QUOTE=j-richardson;18683653]They're only deploying the extra troops because the US was accused of 'purposely' not finding Osama
If all goes to plan they should use the force they've got to crack down places where he and his little friends might be hiding and the searches will be a lot faster this time around.[/QUOTE]
This is the result when US forces rely too much on air strikes and local militias to do their shit. (Anaconda)
I personally have no issue with it as long as it ends with Bin Laden captured, and as many Al-Qaeda dead along the way
[QUOTE=Wolf_Marine;18683921]All of his extreme left followers are already angry he's not holding up to his promises fast enough for them. Right wings just hate him from the start, everyone in the middle's wondering what the fuck is going on with these extremists on both sides.[/QUOTE]
obama doesn't have any extreme left followers because he's a center-right corporatist
[QUOTE=Weißes rose;18685192]But you aren't in the armed forces. They don't really have a choice once they sign that dotted line, but they are also trained for it.[/QUOTE]
That joke went right over your head.
[QUOTE=SigmaLambda;18685601]obama doesn't have any extreme left followers because he's a center-right corporatist[/QUOTE]
Does that make Stalin a centralist?
[QUOTE=TheTalon;18685557]I personally have no issue with it as long as it ends with Bin Laden captured, and as many Al-Qaeda dead along the way[/QUOTE]
You know Freedom Fighters (I dare say Terrorists seen as the local people mainly support them) are just normal people mislead by the people with power to do their bidding, those people have families too you know.
[QUOTE=radioactive;18686177]You know Freedom Fighters (I dare say Terrorists seen as the local people mainly support them) are just normal people mislead by the people with power to do their bidding, those people have families too you know.[/QUOTE]
I said Al-Qaeda, not Foreign Fighters or Insurgents, you know. The Death to America religious extremists guys
[url=www.foxnews.com/shep]Someone's gonna get really mad.[img]http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2852/fuxnews.png[/img][/url]
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