Obama: No plans for additional troop increase in Afghanistan

There are no immediate plans to commit more U.S. troops to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, President Obama said this Wednesday day 16 Sept 2009.

Speaking to reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama said he would consult with U.S. allies before determining a strategy in Afghanistan following last month's elections there.
"I'm going to take a very deliberate process in making those decisions," Obama said. "There is no immediate decision pending on resources, because one of the things that I'm absolutely clear about is you have to get the strategy right, and then make a determination about resources."
The United States now has about 62,000 U.S. troops in the country, and NATO allies -- including Canada -- have another 35,000. The Pentagon is planning to add 6,000 troops by the end of the year.
There have been indications that Obama soon could be asked to commit even more American troops. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has signaled he would like to gauge the impact of the 6,000-troop increase before considering whether to send more.
Support in the United States for the war in Afghanistan has dipped to an all-time low. Just 39 percent of Americans favor the war, while 58 percent oppose it, according to a national CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday.

Source CNN