Marine Capt. Mark Trouerbach, left, and United States Army soldiers heard insurgents’ fire in Nuristan Province on Oct. 24. Tyler Hicks/The New York TimesFrom The New York Times:
WASHINGTON — One of the most difficult challenges President-elect Barack Obama’s national security team faces is Mr. Obama’s vow to send thousands of American troops to help defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Military experts agree that more troops are required to carry out an effective counterinsurgency campaign, but they also caution that the reinforcements are unlikely to lead to the sort of rapid turnaround that the so-called troop surge in Iraq produced after its start in 2007.
After seven years of war, Afghanistan presents a unique set of problems: a rural-based insurgency, an enemy sanctuary in neighboring Pakistan, the chronic weakness of the Afghan government, a thriving narcotics trade, poorly developed infrastructure, and forbidding terrain.
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My Comment: Afghanistan may quickly turn out to be President Obama's war and legacy. Hard decisions will need to be made in the next few months .... with an Afghan surge being on the top of the list.