Times online (UK) reported back in May of 2008, that the US number of troops range from 10,000 to 40,000 and the 3,000 to 7,000 NATO troops. The goal for the U.S. seems to be to get 35,000 troops (NATO & U.S.) at the end of the day into Afghanistan for support. This amount would be the largest amount of US troops to be in Afghanistan since the beginning of the Afghanistan war.
This plan re-emerges or rather will be rolled out very soon. The WSJ reports that Obama has been in discussions this week with NATO, in coordinating his Administration’s new war strategy. The new plan hopes to include additional troops surges not just from the U.S., but it’s European counterparts as well. Obama plans on releasing the final numbers by November 30th, even though, NATO foreign ministers won’t meet until December 3rd to decide on their troop surge.
It would seem with UK’s pull out from Iraq, the door has opened for up to 2,000 more troops into Afghanistan. Turkey and Romania are also being asked for 600 troops each. France, having said that it will not send more troops, has pulled some troops out of Kosovo and with that pullout the US hopes to convince France to send 1,000 more troops.
The U.S. has received a more positive response and feedback than it had expected from most of these allies. With this type of response, the U.S. hopes to be able to fulfill Obama’s surge plan by the end of the year.
See Below for NATO troops (only troops under NATO command) and their respective death tolls.
Via the Wall Street Journal
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