The 17,000 extra troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan will be operational by this summer and in time for the national elections in August, the top commander of US and NATO forces in the country said Wednesday, dpa reported.
But General David McKiernan also told reporters that despite the buildup, the destabilizing and violent situation in Afghanistan is unlikely to be quickly reversed.
"I have to tell you that 2009 is going to be a tough year," McKiernan told reporters at the Pentagon, adding that he expects fighting to increase in the summer.
Obama announced Tuesday he'd signed orders to send the additional troops as part of his initial plan to expand the US presence in Afghanistan to counter a resurgent Taliban, which has used sanctuary regions in Pakistan to carry out attacks against coalition and Afghan forces.
Fighting in southern Afghanistan, where it has been the heaviest, has produced a stalemate and it remains crucial to get soldiers in unprotected areas, McKiernan said.
"We need additional, persistent security presence in areas that we're not at today," McKiernan said. "And then, in turn, the intent is that that would allow governance and other programs that will enable the population to resist an insurgency in the future."
McKiernan had requested an additional 30,000 troops for Afghanistan before Obama's order. The president has been reviewing the US strategy in Afghanistan and more deployments are expected to take place later this year.
The 17,000 troop increase will widen the US presence to more than 50,000.
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