Congress mulls Afghan plan funding

Top administration officials have appeared before Congress to promote US President Barack Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan.

The troop surge involves an estimated 30 billion US dollars of funding, subject to approval by Congress.

The officials are trying to convince skeptical lawmakers that failure of the mission in Afghanistan would put the national interest at risk.

Barack Obama's new Afghan strategy made instant headlines news in the US and around the world.

But for a country focusing on rebuilding its economy, the huge cost of military operations is a contentious issue.

So top administration officials told lawmakers that there can be no other option.

Robert Gates, US Defense Secretary, said, "Failure in Afghanistan would mean a Taliban takeover of much, if not most, of the country and likely a renewed civil war."

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, said, "We believe the insurgency has achieved a dominant influence in 11 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. To say that there is no serious threat of Afghanistan falling once again into Taliban hands ignores the audacity of even the insurgency's most public statements."

Many lawmakers seem to have resigned themselves to the president's decision for a troop build up.

What some take issue with is the faster-than-expected exit timetable.