Military Commanders In Afghanistan Say That They Do Not Have Enough Troops To Stop The Taliban

U.S. Marines and Afghan national army soldiers return fire after insurgents ambushed their patrol in the Garmsir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2009.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Kurt Stahl

U.S. Military Says Its Force in Afghanistan Is Insufficient -- New York Times

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — American military commanders with the NATO mission in Afghanistan told President Obama’s chief envoy to the region this weekend that they did not have enough troops to do their job, pushed past their limit by Taliban rebels who operate across borders.

The commanders emphasized problems in southern Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents continue to bombard towns and villages with rockets despite a new influx of American troops, and in eastern Afghanistan, where the father-and-son-led Haqqani network of militants has become the main source of attacks against American troops and their Afghan allies.

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My Comment: I call this laying the ground work for a massive escalation of U.S. military forces into Afghanistan. This war is now entering a new and very dangerous phase.

I can understand why the commanders are worried. They are spread thin, and some FOBs are probably vulnerable to a mass attack from Taliban forces .... especially along the Afghan-Pak border. The possibility of an American outpost being attacked and over run .... as it almost happened in the Battle of Wanat last year .... would not only have profound political consequences back home, but the American opublic opinion will quickly go south on Presdient Obama's Afghan policy.

If I know this .... I am sure that the Taliban are also aware of what is happening.