'Obama Orders More Troops To Afghanistan', Los Angeles Times, 18 February 2009

EXCERPT: "President Obama ordered his first major deployment of U.S. combat troops Tuesday, authorizing 17,000 additional soldiers and Marines for Afghanistan in what he described as an urgent bid to stabilize a deteriorating and neglected country. The deployment will double the number of American combat brigades in the nation at a time of tension with Afghanistan's weak government over civilian casualties of the campaign against the increasingly bold Taliban, and concern over neighboring Pakistan's ability to fight Islamic militants based there. In a statement announcing the troop increase, Obama directed veiled criticism at the Bush administration, noting that a request from Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, had been pending for months. In undertaking the 'solemn duty' to dispatch troops to war, Obama also delved into one of the main issues of his long presidential campaign. While denouncing the Iraq war as a mistake, Obama repeatedly pledged to refocus on Afghanistan."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Afghanistan hails "new US ties"', BBC News, 18 February 2009
'Mini-surge to test out US strategy in Afghanistan', Los Angeles Times, 18 February 2009
'Troop increase will put pressure on allies', The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 February 2009
'US, Afghanistan: Challenges to a troop surge', Stratfor, 18 February 2009

Related posts:
'The way forward in Afghanistan', 12 February 2009
'NATO general approves of Afghanistan troop surge', 23 January 2009
'US commander sees "tough fight" in 2009', 8 December 2008
'Afghanistan troop buildup could more than double', 29 October 2008