Obama may favour sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Even though President Barack Obama is not expected to make any announcement on sending more troops to Afghanistan before returning from his Asian trip, the White House is leaning towards a request made by the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, officials sources said. The Obama administration is considering a middle ground option made by General McChrystal. McChrystal had put forward a "high risk" request for only 10,000-15,000 troops, and a "medium risk" request of 40,000-45,000, Fox News reports. The plan under consideration would call for sending the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky.; the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y.; and a Marine brigade for a total of 23,000 troops, sources said. An additional 7,000 troops would staff a new division in Kandahar, they added. Obama has deliberated over McChrystal's request for more troops for months. He's weighed calls to dramatically escalate the U.S. presence in the region as part of a full-scale counterinsurgency effort against calls to strategise the U.S. mission around taking out top Al Qaeda targets. The latter would not require as many troops, the paper said.