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Over the last year, Americans
have heard a lot about the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq. About
20,000 extra troops were sent to Iraq, bringing the total to
about 160,000. The surge in Iraq has helped lessen violence there.
But things have been getting worse in Afghanistan, where U.S.
troops have been fighting since 2001. The terrorist group that
attacked the United States on Sept. 11th, 2001, was based in
Afghanistan. Al Qaeda was protected by a group called the Taliban,
which controlled Afghanistan when the U.S. invaded after 9/11.
The U.S.-led forces succeeded in getting rid of the Taliban in
2001. But violence has increased in that country recently, and
the Taliban has been making a comeback. President Bush has responded
by announcing plans to put 4,500 more U.S. troops into Afghanistan.
Right now, there are 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and about
40,000 international troops who are there from a group called
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Some military
experts say that President Bush's plan won't do enough to help
the situation in Afghanistan. Military leaders in Afghanistan
have said that they need at least 10,000 more troops to fight
the enemy and protect the people of Afghanistan. Most military
leaders say that in order to send that many troops to Afghanistan,
the U.S. would have to pull more troops out of Iraq. Do you
think this is a good idea? Let's look more closely at that
country's recent history. |
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