13,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

President Obama has approved, and the Pentagon is deploying, 13,000 troops to Afghanistan, beyond the 21,000 approved in March.

The additional troops are primarily support forces, including engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police. Their deployment has received little mention by officials at the Pentagon and the White House, who have spoken more publicly about the combat troops who have been sent to Afghanistan.

The deployment of the support troops to Afghanistan brings the total increase approved by Obama to 34,000. The buildup has raised the number of U.S. troops deployed to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan above the peak during the Iraq “surge” that President George W. Bush ordered, officials said.

When troop numbers are discussed, such as the 40,000-60,000 requested by General McChrystal, the numbers pertain to combat troops. However, support troops are always a necessary component, and there are questions about whether McChrystal’s request can be met if his plan is the preferred one.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.