More Troops in Afghanistan?

The top ranking General in Afghanistan recently called for significantly more troops to be sent to Afghanistan.  I’d like to hear whether or not you think a significant troop increase is needed and why/why not.

28 responses to “More Troops in Afghanistan?”

  1. Miranda Majors says:

    I believe that if the top ranking General in Afghanistan recently called for a number of troops to sent to Afghanistan, then there is probably a good reason for it. We as citizens of the United States have no idea what really goes on there and should not be poking our noses into affairs of the military unless we have served in the military there. With several of my own family members currently serving in Afghanistan and other areas of the Middle East, I have personally heard several accounts of everyday happenings, none of which are ever apparent in the media. It is not an uncommon fact that the media portrays only segments of individual stories, those of which are thought to bring the most reaction to society. Therefore, without personal knowledge or personal account of happenings in Afghanistan any one person should not be judging the actions of the top ranking General in Afghanistan.
    Most recently my cousin returned on a two week leave from Afghanistan with a strong hatred for the recent actions of the military through the withdrawal of U.S. troops from several areas in Afghanistan. He stated that just as the U.S. troops had finally begun to restore order and bring peace to the citizens of the Middle East, all of their efforts were lost as the troops began to leave and fighting among the Afghanistan people returned. This account shows the importance of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan and accounts for the idea that only those personally experiencing this war can call for more troops.

  2. Antonio Williams says:

    (Thinking to myself)-“When is this going to ever stop?” That is, if it’s ever going to stop.

    I’m not much of a follower on what is going on in Afghanistan, and the involvement with the U.S. troops. However, this war between the U.S. and Afghanistan has been going on for some time now, in which, a resolution would of thought to be in existence. Taking that into consideration, if the General in Afghanistan recently called for significantly more troops to be sent to Afghanistan than I’m sure there is a legit reason behind it.

  3. Erika Oldenberg says:

    Well first of all, I thought Obama promised to start taking troops out of Afghanistan. I thought he wanted to end this war shortly, rather than send more troops in. That is why I am confused for the most part on why we are sending in more troops. I am not for the war 100%, but I am not totally against it. I’m not sure why the General is asking for more troops and I don’t know if I believe that it is for a good reason. I don’t keep up with the news about the war in Afghanistan as much as I should be, but it is hard to listen when you only hear stories about people’s families being torn apart when they hear about a loss of a loved one. I don’t know anyone personally that is in the military, but it is still hard for me to listen and watch innocent Americans die for a war that I thought would be over by now. I support our troops, because without them we wouldn’t have our freedom. But on the other hand, when is it ever going to stop. It was necessary after 9/11, but it’s now 2010. If Afghanistan is still a threat to the United States than send in more troops! But if they aren’t stop dragging it out longer than it has too. Why can’t we finish this so we can stop risking innocent lives? I am all for Peace on Earth, but I know that will never happen.

  4. Kalib Hrbacek says:

    February 18th, Obama ordered 38,000 troops to Afghanistan. Now a “high ranking offcial” wants more?

    I’m all for it.

    This is where the war started. This is the place we went into first. Hard to believe that after all these years, Iraq has become the main reason for the war. Personally I think Afghanistan was a sherade for Bush to get into Iraq. Now that we have come, saw, and conquered Iraq I believe it’s time for us to focus on what the original goal was.

  5. Samantha Ruehl says:

    I personally feel if the top ranking General in Afghanistan needs more troops then we should send them. I’m not involved in the war in Afghainstan, but I trust that the top ranking General would know what he’s talking about. Like most of us I would like to see an end to this war, but we should make sure the security of our country is not at stake. If it takes more troops to achieve this and win the war then it is necessary.

  6. Tyiece Oninski says:

    I believe that if the top ranking General says that we need more troops, then maybe we should listen to what he is recommending. I’m not too sure why he believes that if we do not send more that it would be a guaranteed loss, but I have confidence that the General has his ranking for a reason and is where he is because he is good at it. So I have reason to believe that he knows what he is talking about. I don’t believe that anyone really knows what is going on over there except the people who are actually there themselves. So I don’t believe that I am in any position to say whether there should be more troops sent there or not. My thoughts on war are to defend our country from what ever threats there may be that will endanger us. And also to go there, blow them up, NOT PAY TO FIX IT, and leave. Then if they attempt to endanger our country again, do it again until they have learned their lesson. It seems that Afghanistan is not willing to settle these disputes in any diplomatic way, so we have to use force, because that is how we have done it forever, it seems to work the best, and we need to stop trying to control other people’s lives. If the people there are not happy, they can act on their own part.

  7. Jennifer Connors says:

    We have been in war for many years, I believe the general is doing the right thing now, I’m not sure why the troops were in Iraq all this time and not in Afghanistan where they should of been from the start and where they should of stayed. I find it interesting how society can judge the general when we the people don’t know the details, all we know is what the media wants us to know. War is a very touchy subject and many people try to critique it, but again the oly people that knows the facts and details are the troops and the general.

  8. Loy Vang says:

    Since I haven’t been keeping updates with the war in Afghanistan, I don’t really have an answer to this question. Although in my opinion, I think more troops should be there to accommadate the top ranking general who specifically asked for our help. I mean, that just shows that the general there is actually doing his part. Yet at the same time, we are risking the lives of others for their sakes. So, if the troops and the generals know what they want, then we as citizens should acknowledge that and support that as well.

  9. Andrea Nelson says:

    In response to what Erika said, yes Obama did say he was bringing troops home but that isn’t going to happen over night. You have to take troops out of the Middle East slowly because if you just wake up and they are all gone something worse is going to happen.

    In my opinion, since my Dad is currently in Iraq fighting for this country, I believe that if they need more troops over there for help, for protection, for whatever, send them!! The troops that are over there alone right now can’t do it on their own. I have heard personally a number of attacks actually going on while I was on the phone with my Dad. Where an alarm would come on and he would say “Honey, I’m sorry but I have to go.” I want more people over there so they can all help each other to finish what they’ve started and all come home safe together. There must be a reason why he wants more troops over there, he wouldn’t just call them over for the hell of it!

  10. Holly Winn says:

    Interesting. I have no idea why the general would call for more troops other than his professional opinion of “need” because I have not followed what is going on there. Do I think that my interest in these matters should be increased? – Yes I do…because my citizenship is represented, on some level, with every soldier there,every soldier facing deployment, veterans of any previous war, and for the simple reason of being a citizen of the U.S.

  11. Kimone Holtzman says:

    When is this ever going to end. I guess I am partial to this topic….Obviously there is some reason that the general is asking for help, so we should respect his request and send help. There are so many people who have been fighting over there for so long they deserve a break/rotation…but honestly how much longer is this war going to go on. It really seems like its an endless battle.
    I am partial, but I would prefer to end the war sooner than later. (not sending troops over)

  12. Amannda Hollis says:

    It was suggested by commanders and advisors that more troops were needed in Afghanistan to help hold the line against Taliban troops. For me to say whether or not this increase in troops is needed is hard for me because I feel like a large number of our troops have been sent there already and this would increase numbers to a record high. After being in war with them this long I don’t know if it is important to send more of our troops over there but at the same time this could bring us closer to the end. The general is saying that Taliban militants are gaining momentum and if this is the case than it may be important we get more of our people over there.

  13. derrick says:

    Although i want the war to end and bring our troops home as soon as possible i feel that if a general is asking for more troops to be sent there i’m sure their is a good reason for it. i feel as if it would be a worse tragedy to not provide our troops with the support they need to finish a job they were sent there to do. if we don’t give them what they need we are setting them up for failure and this failure in this situation is the could be the difference between life and death. let’s face it our troops were sent over there based on a lie we must do what ever we can to bring them home safely. what’s that saying hate the game not the player and in this instance i hate the war not our troops. i thank them for the job they do everyday they put themselves in harms way so we can be safe.

  14. Wesley Jahnke says:

    I definitely think we need more troops in Afghanistan. I know the sort of two front war we are fighting is not popular, but if people would really study the situation I think they would see the good we are doing. I mean over 16 million Iraqis showed up to vote under heavy gunfire and mortar attacks. Many said that their dream was to vote. We gave it to them, that is truly something to be proud of. Now the reason I’m talking about Iraq is because the Afghanistan war is the same situation and we could accomplish the same. No doubt the situation in Afghanistan is tougher; the country is literally a haven for terrorists and always has been. The country is a hot bed and I really think that this general is right and that we do need to send more troops. I’m really thinking if we do not send more troops we may have another Tet Offensive on our hands. The borders of Afghanistan are clearly not locked down and the mountains are perfect hiding, I really think that the Taliban and other terrorist forces are building up. If they were to launch a major offensive more than likely we would receive very high casualties and the troops would be overwhelmed without reinforcements. The troops would more than likely hold off the offensive, but only after losing many. The whole situation of Iraq and Afghanistan has kind of fallen into the back of a lot of peoples mind and I’m worried that one day we may turn on the TV and see that the troops in Afghanistan are surrounded and under heavy attack. Lastly if we were to lose Afghanistan that would basically make the past many years a waste and all the men who gave their lives to make it a better country would really be disrespected by us not doing all we could.

  15. Christy Vachavake says:

    I don’t understand why people are getting so upset about this. Americans want to get out of Iraq so bad, well this is a solution. We aren’t deploying more troops, we’re just taking the troops that would have gone to Iraq and sending them to Afghanistan instead because it is starting to become more violent in Afghanistan than in Iraq. I find it entertaining that whenever people hear about the terrible camps and leaders in the world doing horrible things to their people they want someone to do something about it. But they don’t want that someone to be us and they don’t realize people are trying to make the world a better place. Despite what people may say, we have made excellent progress in Iraq and done a lot for the people there. Yes, we have lost quite a bit ourselves for doing this, but someone needed to get Sadam Hussein out of there. We’re still there because you can’t just remove a leader and expect a broken country to rebuild itself right, especially in the middle east. Now that things are cooling down and getting better we need to focus on the war in Afghanistan and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

  16. Diana Olson says:

    I think that the increase in troops sent to Afghanistan is only appropriate if absolutely necessary. As a U.S. citizen we aren’t the most informed because we get our information through the media, which can be biased and create a biased opinion. I don’t believe the government would send over troops unless they thought it was the best option for Afghanistan and the United States. We have done a lot of good for the citizens of Afghanistan, and as one of the strongest countries in the world we need to send a message that we’re not willing to back down to terrorism. If we do send more troops overseas, I hope that we can accomplish enough to start to see an end in site for our presence in Afghanistan. With how long the war has been going on, it would be hopeful to start to see troops coming home in the near future.

  17. Jamie Forman says:

    Personally, I have not been following the war in Afghanistan as much as one should. I do listen to the news and try to follow information. However, this is difficult because of the skewed misconceptions of the media. I believe that the war is somewhat “sugar-coated” through the media and that US citizens do not see the harsh reality of what is really going on over there. This is done to portray the misconception that everything is going to be okay and the U.S has things under control. I remember exactly where I was when this war was declared. I also remember a speech Bush gave a year into the war, saying that he was pulling troops out. Since then, we have only called for more troops to go. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in our troops and I support them 100% but I do not believe the United States should try to govern or “police” other nations especially at the costs of lives.

  18. Debbie Kyser says:

    I am not sure if we should of entered the war in Afghanistan in the first place. I agree with Jamie in saying I do not know if we should try to govern or police other nations at the expense of our men. I just read a book about what has been going on there and one of the men in the book questioned years later after we freed the taliban, how free are they he asked? The West has a mind set and the East has its own mind set. The East should not be trying to make the West go along with their laws such as Sharia law and we can not change their mind set if they do not want it to be changed. There are times that we do have to enter war when we are directly involved. In my generation we had the Viet Nam war to content with and people did not like the idea of it either. I wonder if we are in the big economic turmoil partly because of the money we’ve spent in wars we should of not been involved in. What would justify having more troops in Afghanistan, except for more lives lost? Are we fighting a dead end war?

  19. I am admittedly ignorant to the full situation currently unfolding in Afghanistan. That being said, I think that if the top General is requesting more troops, there is probably a necessity for them. I believe that as long as we are attempting to accomplish something in that region, leadership ought to have what is needed for achieving its goals. I also believe that if the President is planning to deny the request, he ought to pull us out completely so that our military is not ill-equipped and more vulnerable to attack. Are we still searching for Bin Laden there, or simply attemting to eradicate the Taliban? I read in the news about a resurgence of this group in the region, after some key U.S. victories were reported some years ago. I beieve that as long as the U.S. military is a presence in the region, our government needs to oblige, and provide the leadership with what is needed to accomplish their mission. If the President, and Congress decide not to oblige, I hope that our troops are removed, and not set up to be slaughtered.

  20. Antonio Mendoza says:

    If Gen. Stanley McChrystal In Afghanistan needs more troops on the ground just send them, he is the General, the expert on the job, the want that has the view on what is really going on over there.

    I’m very confident in Gen. Stanley McChrystal, I truly believe he is doing the right thing on asking for more troops.

    What people do not realize is the tremendous rough terrain that the troops encounter every day while in patrol, people may not know that there are hundreds of caves and places where the Taliban hides and more troops are needed to put and end to this war.

    We should not question our military leaders, we should continue give them support, but it is hard to understand this debate, to fully see the big picture on this debate you have to be there on the ground and see what really goes on, until then you will see this debate more clearly.

  21. Tiffany Hulberg says:

    I don’t really follow what is going on with the Afghanistan conflicts and all of that but I do believe that over these long drawn out years that we have pretty much proved that man power and sending in the troops is not getting anybody, anywhere very quickly. That just being my point of view, I do not know the generals reasonings behind what he is doing so I can not really say how I feel about sending in more troops and instead I will have to dig in and see what this accomplishes. There are plenty reasons I’m not a military general and this, I’m sure, is one of them! So go ahead, send in those troops, just show me that something is happening if you’re going to bet lives in this game.

  22. Cody Schmittinger says:

    Yes, yes, and another yes. Afghanistan should have been the first place troops were sent not Iraq. Granted the US wants to stabalize Iraq’s government, however; if we are going to call this a war on terror we actually need to start placing our troops where we know the significant forces of terrorists are located. It’s not that we need the forces for an all out attack on a city or anything, it’s that we need the manpower to search the areas for the Taliban. So, yes I believe that sending more troops to Afghanistan is necessary and we should follow the General’s word if we want to get out of the middle east anytime soon.

  23. Phillip Brent Miller says:

    Being a current member in the military who will continue to be in the military for another 15-20 years, I know a little more about what’s going on in Afghanistan than the general public. Yet, there is still so much that I don’t know. I do know that we did wonderful things for the people of Iraq, and that Afghanistan insurgent activity has been increasing. Afghanistan is quite literally a hotbed for terrorist activity. The amount of IEDs and attacks that have been occuring are some of the highest it’s been since we first entered there. If the commanding general says we should deploy more troops, then I trust his judgment. Remember, it’s not just his decision. President Obama is the commander-in-chief. It is ultimately his decision on what happens concering the military. President Obama was briefed by his advising staff, and he obviously must have agreed with the commanding general or we wouldn’t be deploying more troops.

  24. Kevin McGreevy says:

    As was stated in a few other blog posts, the majority of us here in the states have no real idea what is going on in Afghanistan outside of what the news media decides to tell us, and we all know how corrupted news stories can be by the time we hear about them. If those fighting and dying in Afghanistan believe that we need to deploy more troops to the region to get the job done, then I am all for it, but that is ONLY if that decision is made by the people on the ground who know how things are actually going there.

  25. Kyle Kiser says:

    I really dont think it is nessesary to bring in more troops, I haven’t been following the war that closely but Obama said we would be pulling them out soon. But on the other hand if a war general thinks it is nessesary then i would have to believe him because no one really knows what is going on over there so we shouldn’t be quick to judge.

  26. Ashley Lepak says:

    Yes I think it should because last time we had a troop surge the number of casualties went down and more objectives were fully accomplished. One thing that troops have complained about is that we aren’t devoting enough resources to the war, we are fighting the war with half effort.
    I hate to say this because I have a lot of family in the war, but in a way this helps make sure they come home safely

  27. Ryan Weston says:

    I think it is simple…weather we like it or not, everything should be done (more troops) to be sure that when we pull our troops out, all that has been acomplished doesn’t fall apart. It is owed to all who sacrificed that the mission is accomplished before the war “ends”. The more troops there, the more effecient and protected our troops will be. I look at it like an “all or nothing” deal. Whenever I think about the war, my all-time favorite book comes to mind, “Lone Survivor”, by Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal. That book is a true testament to our military, our soldiers, their sacrifices, and why they fight for our country. I can’t say enough about it.

  28. valerie says:

    my fiance is over in iraq right now and has to be both Iraq and AF. Many people think that since a loved one is over that i should be against the war but i’m not. First off. the war that we are fighting is against the Iraqi people or the people of Af it is against the tryranny and the terriosim that exist there. Many people keep telling me that it is not our war to fight that we should just let it go…tell that to the people over there tell that to the people who lived in Europe during WWII most importantly tell that to the people who have been there and have seen what is going on. I have had many friends who have been over there i have lost a friend becasue fo this war..would we want all that our friends and families have scarificed for to be in vain.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *