US envoy opposed to Afghan surgey

US envoy opposed to Afghan surge

The US currently has some 68,000 troops in Afghanistan The US ambassador in Kabul has written to the White House arguing against sending thousands more American troops to Afghanistan. In a leaked cable, Karl Eikenberry said President Karzai's government should first prove it would tackle corruption. The message arrived amid intense debate over strategy, with President Obama yet to make a decision on troop numbers. This dramatic intervention would put the ambassador at odds with generals seeking reinforcements. On Wednesday, President Obama held his eighth meeting to discuss the question of whether to send tens of thousands more troops to confront the Taliban. Mr Eikenberry, a former American commander in Afghanistan, sent the secret cable in the past week, according to US media reports. Expressing concern about corruption in Afghanistan, he said it was "not a good idea" to send more soldiers, the BBC has been told.READ MORE