U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a nationally televised address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, Dec. 1, 2009. Obama said on Tuesday he is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by next summer to speed the battle against the Taliban and plans to start bringing some home in 18 months. [Photo: Xinhua/Reuters]

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In this edition, we will focus on U.S. President Barack Obama's new Afghan war strategy. Don't go away.

U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that he will send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan over the next six months.

The new troops will bring the total number of soldiers in Afghanistan to more than 100,000 U.S. forces.

The main mission of the new troops will be to reverse Taliban gains and secure population centers in the volatile southern and eastern parts of the country.

Obama unveiled his plans in a speech broadcast Tuesday evening from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He said his new policy is designed to "bring this war to a successful conclusion."

"I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of violent extremism practiced by al-Qaida. It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak. This is no idle danger, no hypothetical threat."

The troop buildup will begin almost immediately, with the first Marines to be in place by Christmas, and additional troops to be deployed as quickly as possible in the first part of 2010.

Obama stressed that the U.S. military's goal is to deny al-Qaida a safe haven and to strengthen Afghanistan's capacity for taking responsibility for its own future.

"We must deny al-Qaida a safe haven. We must reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future."

Afghanistan has welcomed Washington's new strategy for a post-Taliban country.

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta says Afghans expect Obama's strategy to be a success.

"We believe that President Obama once again clearly emphasized the U.S. commitments in his speech. The strategy is exactly what we and the people were expecting especially in supporting us, which will enable us to finally take responsibility, so that our foreign guests can very soon return to their homelands safely."

Obama has underscored his commitment to stabilizing Afghanistan and scouring corruption out of the government of President Hamid Karzai.

Obama has also leaned heavily on NATO allies and other countries to join in escalating the fight, saying global security is at stake.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has welcomed Obama's new policy for Afghanistan.

"I think it's a right decision for Afghanistan and for NATO. This is not a U.S. mission alone. There are 43 countries on the ground under NATO command, and I am confident that other allies and partners will also make a substantial increase in their contributions. I expect at least five-thousand more forces from other countries in our alliance, and possibly a few thousand more."

Rasmussen anticipates that the increased military presence and the transition to Afghan control will give the mission fresh momentum in 2010.

Australia has also voiced its support for Obama's decision to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

But Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner says his country has no plans to do the same.

"We are not planning to send additional troops to Afghanistan, as you know. I have asked the Chief of the (Australian) Defense Force to review the composition of our forces to ensure that we further focus our role on training in Oruzgan Province. As the Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd) noted in Washington, we're looking at increasing our police training effort, both in Oruzgan and at the National Command level in Kabul as well as increasing our civilian assistance in Oruzgan Province."

Most of Australia's troops are involved in training Afghan security forces and are stationed in restive Oruzgan Province.

Obama administration officials have already started to advocate the president's Afghan war strategy.

But some Democrats have questioned the plan. Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has expressed serious misgivings about the troop increase while Afghan security forces remain small and weak.  

"It seems to me that the large influx of U.S. combat troops will put more U.S. marines on street corners in Afghan villages with too few Afghan partners alongside them."

Republican Senator John McCain says although he supports the president's troop buildup, he believes it is a mistake to signal in advance when a troop withdrawal might begin.

"A date for withdrawal sends exactly the wrong message to both our friends and our enemies in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the entire region—all of whom currently doubt whether America is committed to winning this war."

The U.S. Congress is using the high-profile hearings to express its misgivings.

And with that, we conclude this edition of CRI Roundup. If you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to listen again to any of our programs, you can visit our website at crienglish.com.

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