Afghanistan Doesn’t Need A ‘Surge’
(Wall Street Journal)…Ann Marlowe, July 22, 2008
Pg. 17
Afghanistan needs many things, but two more brigades of U.S. troops are not among them.
…. Is bringing in thousands of American troops the answer?
"No!" the official said. "It’s using Special Forces to get the bad guys who are infiltrating from Pakistan. Our enemy only attacks when they expect to win. If we have to go after them, we need the capacity to hunt them with stealth over trackless mountainsides for which our infantry, cavalry and airborne soldiers are not trained or equipped to operate." Defeating the enemy is best accomplished by highly trained fighters who travel light.
Counterinsurgency is not one-size-fits-all. While there are best practices, they must be applied in a nuanced way. In poorly governed countries where insurgencies are likely to arise, the solution may vary from valley to valley.
Ms. Marlowe is a New York-based writer. This year she completed her 10th trip to Afghanistan and her third embed with U.S. forces there.
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