US commander asks for big Afghan troop buildup

The US commander in Afghanistan has asked for a dramatic troop buildup in Afghanistan, a top lawmaker said Sunday, as President Barack Obama faced competing advice over war strategy.
The US military has declined to reveal the details of General Stanley McChrystal's troop request but Senator John McCain said the commander had appealed for 30,000-40,000 forces.
"I think it's the worst -- one of the many worst-kept secrets in Washington. It's 30,000 to 40,000 troops," said McCain, the former Republican presidential nominee who urged Obama to meet the commander's request.
McCain's comments were the latest sign of an intense debate over the US-led mission, as Obama weighs whether to send in more troops amid waning public support for the war and an Afghan election marred by fraud allegations.
McChrystal meanwhile said in a profile on CBS television's "60 minutes," that he was slightly surprised by the strength of the insurgency when he took over his post.
"I think that in some areas that the breadth of violence, the geographic spread of violence -- places to the north and to the west -- are a little more than I would have gathered," he said, according to a transcript of the show to air later Sunday.
The president's civilian and military advisers, along with key lawmakers in his own party, are divided over the way ahead, with some top Army officers worried about placing undue strain on an already stretched force, the New York Times reported.
Vice President Joe Biden and national security adviser James Jones, a retired general, are among those sceptical of a major troop increase, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Richard Holbrooke, the US representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, have a more hawkish stance, the paper said.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates, whose advice could be crucial for Obama's decision, has yet to publicly declare his position on sending in more troops to reinforce the US contingent that will reach 68,000 by year's end.
In an interview, the Pentagon chief denied any rift between the military and the White House over the war in Afghanistan and suggested a possible radical shift in strategy was unlikely.
"I don't think that's the case at all," he told ABC television's "This Week" when asked whether there was tension between military and civilian leaders.
Citing "an extensive conversation on the telephone" on Wednesday with McChrystal, Gates said the general supported Obama's preference to take time to review strategy before weighing a request for more forces.
Once the review was complete, Gates said he would formally convey to Obama the commander's request, which was presented to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen on Friday.
McChrystal, who oversees more than 100,000 Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, has warned in a grim assessment that without more troops in the next year, the war could be lost at the hands of Taliban insurgents.
Answering criticism that Obama was stalling on the troop request, Gates said the pace for decision-making under former president George W. Bush on the Iraq war was slower, with the debate on strategy in 2006 lasting three months.
Gates served as defence chief under the previous administration and endorsed a move to "surge" additional combat troops into Iraq in 2007.
He also appeared to reject a possible alternative "counter-terrorism" strategy that would focus on hunting down al-Qaeda figures and rely on air power while requiring fewer troops.
"Counter-terrorism is only possible if you have the kind of intelligence that allows you to target the terrorists," he said, citing discussions with Pentagon experts on the issue.
"And the only way you get that intelligence is by being on the ground -- getting information from people like the Afghans or, in the case of Iraq, the Iraqis."
The counter-terrorism approach has the support of some lawmakers and reportedly the vice president, but adopting that alternative would represent a major break with the counter-insurgency strategy unveiled by Obama in March.
The US president warned on Friday there were no "perfect answers" in Afghanistan while McCain, who lost to Obama in last year's presidential election, acknowledged the war presented tough choices.
"I think he has a very difficult decision," said McCain, referring to doubts among the president's fellow Democrats and a war-weary American public.
"But I believe he'll make the right decision."