US commander wants more troops against Taliban surge

KABUL (AFP) - The senior US commander in Afghanistan pressed for more troops to confront a major surge in Taliban attacks, notably out of Pakistan, as he briefed visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry pointed to a doubling in the last month in the number of cross-border incidents along a stretch of border opposite a Pakistani tribal area where the Islamabad government struck a peace agreement with tribal leaders last September.

He predicted more violence to come after meeting here with Gates, who flew into Afghanistan late Monday to review the situation in meetings with military chiefs and President Hamid Karzai.

"I would expect that the enemy will have its main effort against southern Afghanistan and what we'll see is more violence in the south," Eikenberry told reporters. …

Eikenberry said the 33,000-strong ISAF was 10 percent short of the troops promised by NATO. A US military official said it was also short of aviation support, logistics and intelligence elements.

US military officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity provided a more detailed picture of the security situation that shows an even greater spike in Taliban violence over the past year.

LSB: So to recap – Bush “fired” (got them to retire) the generals in Iraq that DIDN’T think more troops are needed and is sending those unneccessary troops to get in between Iraqis fighting a civil war; Bush HASN’T sent additional troops or support to Afghanistan where they WERE requested to actually fight terrorist organizations. SDRAWKCABSSA!