Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase

President, war council, weigh Afghan troop options today
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 11, 2009 7:13 AM CST
Updated Nov 11, 2009 7:45 AM CST
Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase
CAMP LEJEUNE, NC - NOVEMBER 3: Marines in the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, prepare to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom November 3, 2009 at Camp Lejeune, NC.   (Getty Images)

As President Obama heads into a meeting with his national security team today, one of the four options on the table for increasing troop levels in Afghanistan has emerged as a favorite of his top advisers. Hillary Clinton, Mike Mullen, and Robert Gates all favor a plan to send about 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan in the next year, the New York Times reports.

The Wall Street Journal describes the plan as a compromise strategy, using US troops to hold the Taliban at bay while Afghan forces are beefed up enough to secure population centers themselves. Up to 10,000 of the new US forces would be military trainers to aid in the rapid Afghan troop buildup. Obama is expected to mull over today's discussion during his upcoming trip to Asia and announce a decision on Afghan strategy shortly after he returns November 19.
(More US troops stories.)

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