Bush concedes `tough month' in Afghanistan

Yahoo! News ^ | July 02 2008 | DEB RIECHMANN

[maine-iac7]

President Bush said Wednesday it has been a "tough month" in Afghanistan, where more U.S. and NATO troops died during the past two months than in Iraq. The Pentagon said it is too strapped to send more forces to Afghanistan now.

[maine-iac7]

"At the Pentagon, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that if security continues to improve in Iraq, he hopes troops will be available to shift to Afghanistan by the end of this year."

Gates, I loathe. He's spent the last year fiddling around, hat in hand, with the NATO - and continually got his hat handed back to him in a handbasket - which the troops up in the north East provinces of Kunar and Patika are taking the worst fighting since the was began, with short troops - and other shortages which I won't list here.

Mullen went to the Kunar last year - he went to the KOP to check out the lack of things these troops needed to cut down on the high KIA/wounded rate.

I had a ray of hope when he seemed to care. But so much for that.

These troops are left with the fighting increasing 40% this year.

The only reconition they are getting is that they are racking up awards at a high rate. But no help scheduled for another year.

That is criminal. Mullen is now on my sh*t list -

Here's the latest article on the troops, on their own, in the isolated valleys of the Kunar - aka Taliban Central.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63101&archive=true

Awards demonstrate valor of ‘The Rock’

[Izzy Dunne]

where more U.S. and NATO troops died during the past two months than in Iraq.

I remember seeing ABCNNBCBS trumpeting the lowering death count in Iraq recently.

I think...

Or maybe not.

[canuck_conservative]

I’m sure those troops will be relieved to know that lots of materiel and manpower are still flowing unhindered into Iraq.

Oh, and “Iraq was not a diversion from Afghanistan”.

[tanuki]

My best to your grandson, maine-iac. With things winding down in Iraq, hopefully we can do more in Afghanistan.

[maine-iac7]

darn, had a monitor freeze -

I heard a while ago that Petreaus was going to take over in Afghanistan in Sept. hoping that will get some action - but still way late .......

the story will be heard

[pissant]

They are stacking up jihadis like cordwood in Afghanistan.

[Sacajaweau]

When will other countries send their “fair share”?

[maine-iac7]

Other than US, UK, Canada and Austraila? Maybe France and Poland...