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US ambassador warns against Afghanistan troop buildup
In an unexpected dissent at a critical moment, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan has warned in classified cables against any further buildup of American forces in the country, senior U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, a retired Army general and former commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, objected in two cables delivered to the State Department saying that additional troops would be unwise because of the corruption and ineffectiveness of the Afghan government, the officials said.
The advice in the cables, sent last week, comes as most signs are suggesting that President Obama soon will announce plans to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan in hopes of turning the tide against militants.
It also pits Eikenberry against a former military colleague, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the current commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, who has reportedly told Obama that more than 40,000 troops are needed if the country is to be stabilized.
Eikenberry's advice, in formal communications sent to Washington, came to light on a day when Obama met with his top national security advisors in what may have been a pivotal meeting to discuss the policy makeover. The group is weighing four options that would add 10,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops to the 68,000 already there.