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August 31, 2009

US, NATO Military Commander Offers Review on Afghanistan
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=26539C8:A6F02AD83191E160B5CB045BAC72FE19D937473925D9872C&
 
General Stanley Mc Chrystal says Afghan situation serious, but success
is achievable and strategic changes must be made 
ISAF commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley Mc Chrystal (R), salutes
ISAF soldiers during changing of command ceremony in Kabul on 10 Jul
2009The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has completed a
months-long strategy review and delivered his assessment to U.S. and
NATO officials. U.S. Army General Stanley Mc Chrystal says the situation
in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and strategic
changes must be made. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman
said the assessment does not include specific requests for more troops,
but U.S. President Barack Obama and NATO leaders could discuss the issue
later. Whitman said the review is being viewed as a confidential
military assessment, and there are no plans to release it to the public.
President Obama had called for the U.S. strategy review in Pakistan and
Afghanistan to battle a growing insurgency of Taliban and al-Qaida
militants. Earlier this month, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said he believes the situation in
Afghanistan is "serious and deteriorating."And last week, The New York
Times reported that U.S. military commanders (with the NATO mission) in
Afghanistan said they do not have enough troops to do their job. The
newspaper did not identify its source, but said commanders emphasized to
U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke in recent meetings that they needed
more troops.


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