NATO Defense Ministers Endorse Wider Afghan Effort

[Are_grits_groceries]

Source: Washington Post

BRATISLAVA — NATO defense ministers gave their broad endorsement Friday to the counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan laid out by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, increasing pressure on the Obama administration and on their own governments to commit more military and civilian resources for the mission to succeed.

General McChrystal, the senior American and allied commander in Afghanistan, landed here early Friday to brief NATO defense ministers on his strategic review of an 8-year-old war in which the American-led effort has lost momentum to a tenacious insurgency. The closed-door session — which had not been disclosed in advance — added a note of drama to the sort of NATO ministerial meeting that is often mundane.

“What we did today was to discuss General McChrystal’s overall assessment, his overall approach, and I have noted a broad support from all ministers of this overall counterinsurgency approach,” said NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Although the broad acceptance by NATO defense ministers of General McChrystal’s strategic review included no decision on new troops, it was another in a series of acknowledgements that success there cannot be achieved by a narrower effort that calls only for capturing and killing Al Qaeda-linked terrorists. That counter-terrorism strategy is identified with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/world/europe/24nato.h...

---

They can go screw themselves if they aren't going to send a lot of troops.

They can screw themselves anyway. They are probably just helping McChrystal for some reason. They are up to something.

[lsewpershad]

1. So what

Now we should outsource our decision to send our young women and men into harms way to NATO? ABSURD!!!

[Elmore Furth]

2. "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain

If the majority of thinkers were right, the stock market would be 14,000 and the majority of our children would be geniuses.

[excess_3]

3. Europeans endorse additional suffering for American servicemen

President Peaceful expected to capitulate.

[vadawg]

4. WTF you do realise that there are europeans there as well

and the NATO commanders want to know if america is going to commit long term before they sacrifice more of their troops...

[excess_3]

5. the south is where the problems are

the south is where the Europeans aren't

[excess_3]

6. war is peace .nt

[vadawg]

7. i guess helmand province must have moved from the last time i was there

or maybe i had the wrong map?????? or maybe you dont realise that the brits are considered european...

[Swede]

8. Canadian,Dutch and British troops are right on the front lines.

Get yourself informed before you comment on something.