Obama to grant request for more troops in Afghanistan: Report

Washington, Nov 10

US President Barack Obama is set to approve sending thousands of soldiers to Afghanistan to bolster the fight against the Taliban, CBS News reported Monday.

CBS News, citing "informed sources," said Obama will approve most of the 40,000 additional soldiers requested by General Stanley McChrystal. Obama for weeks has been holding high level meetings with his top advisors to plot a new strategy for Afghanistan.

Several aids have reportedly backed the Iraq style "surge" of troops for Afghanistan, where the security environment has deteriorated rapidly in the last two years and US casualty rates have shot up.

A senior officer told CBS that Obama's decision on troop numbers is "close to what (McChrystal) asked for." The first deployment would not arrive until early next year.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama will likely not make any announcements on his strategy for Afghanistan until he returns from a trip to Asia scheduled to get underway later this week.

Last updated on Nov 10^th, 2009 at 06:17 am IST--DPA

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