Troops voice support for force increase

Troops voice support for force increase
By Dianna Cahn and Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Troops in Afghanistan Tuesday offered cautious support for a planned increase of U.S. personnel there, saying that more forces are needed for the war.

In the south, where fighting has been intense recently, U.S. servicemembers have been hoping for reinforcements. Soldiers at Camp Nathan Smith in the city of Kandahar said they were relieved by the news.

“I think it’s good — we can’t effectively do our job without more troops,” said Sgt. Nick Spence, 30, of Albany, N.Y.

Spence, a soldier with the 62nd Engineer Sapper Company, 4th Engineer Battalion — a unit that clears roads of explosives — said the move will either flush insurgents out or send them fleeing to Pakistan.

First Lt. Spenser Bruning, 24, of Seattle, who is in the same unit, said his soldiers often clear roads only to have insurgents come back the next day to plant fresh bombs.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/m/article.asp?section=104&article=66291



unhappycamper comment: Note to President Obama: Don't forget an exit strategy after you get this contingent of troops into the meat grinder.