WASHINGTON — President Bush, facing demands for more troops in Afghanistan, said the war-ravaged country had made progress despite difficult fighting against determined killers.
The president received an Oval Office briefing from the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, who said before the meeting that he needs more troops and aid quickly. The counterinsurgency, Mc Kiernan said, could worsen before it gets better.
“There’s been some tough fighting,” Bush said. “And we honor our American troops who have sacrificed so that Afghanistan never becomes a safe haven again for terrorists who would harm our citizens.”
Bush cited improved health care, education and transportation in Afghanistan, adding that “killers can’t stand this progress.”
McKiernan said at the Pentagon earlier that stabilizing Afghanistan will require more than additional troops. It also will take strengthening the Afghan government, its economy and its military and police forces, he said.
Bush said the U.S. must help ensure that Afghanistan has good governance, civilian programs and infrastructure.
The U.S. already is committing more troops. Last month, Bush announced that a Marine battalion that had been scheduled to go to Iraq in November would go to Afghanistan instead, and an Army combat brigade would follow.
There are 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan — 20,000 fighting insurgents and training the Afghan security forces, and 13,000 with the NATO-led coalition.
Bush thanked McKiernan for his “candid briefing” and said the general was assessing his troop needs.
At the Pentagon, McKiernan said he was encouraged by recent Pakistani military operations against insurgents waging cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
But he also said that it is too soon to tell how effective they have been.
He endorsed the suggestion by Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak to try to create a joint force of Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. forces to secure what is a porous, mountainous, ungoverned border region.
“I think in the future, I would certainly support the idea of combined patrolling along that border,” McKiernan said. If it’s handled the right way, he said, he believes the Pakistanis would go along with the plan.
