U.S. officers discuss needs of Afghan war
By The Associated Press
Published: September 26, 2009
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top military officer flew to Europe to talk to the commander in the Afghanistan war Friday about how many troops he needs to turn around the faltering campaign.
President Barack Obama would not say whether he thinks the war needs more troops. He did say he is reviewing whether the right strategy to defeat
al-Qaida is being used.
"I will ultimately make the decision that will meet that core goal I set out at the beginning,” Obama said at a news conference in
Pittsburgh.
Two defense officials said Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen met
Gen. Stanley McChrystal for a half day of talks Friday at
Ramstein Air Base in
Germany. The
U.S. commanders for
NATO and the
Middle East region also attended. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
The officials said Mullen received McChrystal’s report on how many troops he thinks he needs to defeat the insurgency. They declined to confirm what others have said privately for weeks — that McChrystal wants about 40,000 more troops.
The officials said Mullen asked for the meeting because he wanted a face-to-face talk with McChrystal to better understand what the war commander wants and why he wants it.
Not present Friday was
Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Gates has not said whether he endorses additional troops for the war.
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