Current Event 9-23-09

Benjamin Steephenson September 22, 2009 Social Studies – 8th Grade Current Events

White House mulls option to Afghan troop buildup “The Record”

The White House is looking into the option of halting the movement of soldiers into Afghanistan and instead, placing them in Pakistan to eliminate alQaida in that region. Recently, two officials proposed a plan which involves the use of drones (remotely operated aircrafts) to fight al-Qaida in Pakistan by firing missiles at terrorist havens. This plan may enclose al-Qaida into a small region and prevent them from retreating to Afghanistan. The White House is taking into account the option of refocusing on al-Qaida in Pakistan instead of a moving a mass number of troops into Afghanistan. The White House wishes to focus on using drones to eliminate al-Qaida in Pakistan. Two senior administration officials stated that continuing to fight against terrorist organizations gives opportunity to have more drone strikes on Pakistani terrorists. President Obama says he needs more time to decide on how he should proceed. The administration is persisting in continuing the mission in Afghanistan

and sending troops into the war, yet Obama’s top advisors say that they are reluctant to send many more troops in the near future. Using drones could be effective, but using them could harm American relations with Pakistan. The use of drones in Pakistan is still under debate in the White House. Should the US become more involved in Afghanistan or should the US use drones, which have proved to be effective in killing militants, to eliminate al-Qaida from Pakistan? The answer to that question is based on the decision made by the administration on what do about the problems in the Middle East. I think that the US should use drone strikes to fight al-Qaida in Pakistan. This method has been proved to be effective. It does not directly put troops under risk. Also, the use of drones could help better monitor the Pakistan region for terrorist havens, which will help the US soldiers fight more efficiently against terrorism.