Defend Truth

BBC says Obama has decided on Afghan plan – White House says, ‘whoa, not yet’

The BBC reported last night that US President Barack Obama has already decided on a major build-up of 40,000 to 45,000 American troops in Afghanistan, and that it will be announced next week. This would be in response to his commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal’s supposedly still-secret report on troop build-up recommendations for Afghanistan. But the White House brushed aside the Beeb, saying Obama had yet to make any decision on troop numbers. Earlier in the evening British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the UK would send 500 additional troops to Afghanistan, but only if they had the right equipment, if NATO allies boosted their respective troop numbers and if additional Afghan soldiers were trained. The BBC’s “Newsnight” said the US announcement might be public in time for the upcoming Nato defence ministers meeting in Bratislava.

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

[%% img-description %%]

The Spy Bill: An autocratic roadmap to State Capture 2.0

Join Heidi Swart in conversation with Anton Harber and Marianne Merten as they discuss a concerning push to pass a controversial “Spy Bill” into law by May 2024. Tues 5 Dec at 12pm, live, online and free of charge.

A South African Hero: You

There’s a 99.8% chance that this isn’t for you. Only 0.2% of our readers have responded to this call for action.

Those 0.2% of our readers are our hidden heroes, who are fuelling our work and impacting the lives of every South African in doing so. They’re the people who contribute to keep Daily Maverick free for all, including you.

The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.

Be part of that 0.2%. Be a Maverick. Be a Maverick Insider.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options