Army Central Command leader wanted larger force in Afghanistan after 2014

[unhappycamper]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1179

Army Central Command leader wanted larger force in Afghanistan after 2014
By Lolita C. Baldor
The Associated Press
Published: 12:00 AM, Wed Mar 06, 2013

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told senators for the first time Tuesday that he had envisioned keeping about 20,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat operations end in 2014, far more than the number the Obama administration and NATO are considering.

Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, said he personally recommended the U.S. leave 13,600 troops in Afghanistan and that he assumed the NATO allies would probably contribute "around 50 percent" of the U.S. total, which would be roughly 6,500.

"We have to send a message of commitment," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

U.S. and NATO leaders said last month that they may keep between 8,000 and 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat troops leave by Dec. 31, 2014. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged the range being considered, but noted that no final decision has been made.



unhappycamper comment: Evidently we have not wasted enough money in Afghanistan.

[xchrom]

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