Karzai opponent said more troops needed

Fox News:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's top challenger called for a "dramatic increase" in troops to ensure security in his country, suggesting a failure to send in reinforcements could put Afghanistan "at risk" of falling to insurgents.

"The need for more troops is there in order to reverse the situation," Abdullah Abdullah, who is expected to face off against Karzai in a runoff election in two weeks, told "Fox News Sunday."

President Obama is deliberating over a request from his top commander for such an increase. He's weighing a call by Gen. Stanley McChrystal and other military officials for 40,000 more troops against calls to pursue a more surgical strategy aimed at top Al Qaeda leaders, particularly in Pakistan.

But Abdullah did not say whether Obama is taking too long to determine whether to grant his top commander's request for more forces.

"Even if the decision is made today it doesn't mean tomorrow we'll have troops on the ground. It will take time," he said. But he suggested that as long as Karzai is in power, the war effort will be hampered.

"The Afghan side has not been able to deliver, and the Afghan side has been led by Mr. Karzai," Abdullah said.

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I think it is an interesting campaign pitch for Afghanistan and if he gets support on that pitch, it will be even harder for Obama to dither away the the question of additional troops. It will also demonstrate Afghanistan's commitment to defeating the Taliban.