General urges more help in Afghanistan now

General urges more help in Afghanistan now
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 18:40:12 EDT

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and its allies should rush more troops “as quickly as possible” to Afghanistan, the top American commander in that country said Wednesday, warning that the fighting could worsen before it get better.

Trying to meet Gen. David McKiernan’s urgent need for weapons and equipment, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked the military for additional surveillance drones and armored vehicles right now for Afghanistan, The Associated Press has learned. It is a short-term solution to a persistent shortfall of military assets in a seven-year war often overshadowed by the larger U.S.-led conflict in Iraq.

After an Oval Office briefing from McKiernan, President Bush said Afghanistan is “a situation where there’s been progress and there are difficulties.”

The U.S. is in a tough fight against determined killers, Bush said. He cited progress in health care, education and transportation, and said McKiernan relayed “what he’s going to need to make sure that we continue helping this young democracy succeed.”

McKiernan is in Washington this week meeting with top leaders and laying out his military requirements for a war that is just beginning to take on new prominence in the waning months of the Bush administration. U.S. troops are being killed there in increasing numbers.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/ap_afghanistan_100108/%2e