US ambassador supports Afghan surge timeline

While President Obama's plan has received a lukewarm reaction from Afghanis, it resonated well with some US soldiers stationed in the country, as well as the US Ambassador there.

Not surprisingly, the US ambassador to Afghanistan supports the 18-month timeline for Obama's troop surge. He said the surge aims to achieve several goals.

Karl W. Eikenberry, US Ambassador to Afghanistan, said, "In order to reverse Taliban momentum, in order to help build the Afghan national security forces, in order to give more space and time for the further development and strengthening of the Afghan government and its economy."

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry, right, shakes  hands with a U.S. soldier, while wishing the group a happy  Thanksgiving during a lunch at the U.S. base of Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009.(AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Jeffery Richarson is a US solider fighting in Afghanistan. He said the US presence in the country is more about helping the Afghan army, or ANA, and Afghan police, or ANP, to fight on their own in the long run.

Jeffrey M. Richardson, US soldier, said, "The main thing is the training that we do with ANA (Afghan National Army) and ANP (Afghan National Police,) the mentorship that we do.We have more mentors here to help train and help the ANA and ANP do their job."

As of this September, more than 60,000 US troops were stationed in Afghanistan, fighting rising insurgent violence. More than 700 US soldiers have died since the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.