President Barack Obama says stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan is "critical" to U.S. and allied goals in the region, and that if the disputed Afghan presidential election does not result in a credible government in Kabul the job will be much more difficult.
As the president leads a review of his Afghanistan strategy, following a grim assessment by his new commander there, he says his goals have not changed. He told reporters at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh he still wants to "dismantle, disrupt and destroy" the al-Qaida terrorist network and end its ability to attack people all over the world.
In recent weeks, some experts have suggested that can be done without sending more forces, as the new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, wants. McChrystal submitted his formal request to senior commanders Friday, but it was not made public.
The president did not pre-judge the outcome of the strategy review or his eventual decision on troop deployments, but he did say a military, civilian and diplomatic effort is necessary, and stability is key. "Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan are critical to that mission. And after several years of drift in Afghanistan, we now find ourselves in a situation in which you have strong commitments from the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) coalition, our NATO allies, all of them are committed to making this work," he said.
Counterinsurgency experts say the coalition needs more troops in Afghanistan to provide security, train Afghan forces and help the Afghan government convince more people to support it, rather than supporting the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
