Reply #30: Combat is an inherent part of training in such operations.

[leveymg]

Most of those new U.S. troops will be seeing combat. Some of them will be casualties, and will be making Afghan "martyrs" by a more than 10/1 ratio. It's the martyrdom aspect that will create long-term problems for the U.S. This escalation is unnecessary and counter-productive to withdrawal, if that is indeed the objective. An escalation also is counter-productive as far as immediate costs are concerned, which are running at least half a million dollars a year for each additional soldier we put into Afghanistan. Or, doesn't that matter?