Europe Balks at Sending More Troops to Afghanistan

As President Barack Obama considers whether to send more American forces to fight in Afghanistan, it’s looking as if European countries are unlikely to commit more of their own troops to the cause, according to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.  —KA

Reuters via Google News:

“Honestly in Europe there is not great enthusiasm for sending more troops to Afghanistan. That is the public opinion situation in Europe,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Washington.

Barroso said he would discuss the need for a comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan that focused on improving governance and increasing training of Afghan security forces when he met Obama later on Tuesday.

He emphasized that the European Union was already one of the biggest contributors of civilian aid to Afghanistan, sending about 1 billion euros ($1.48 billion) annually.

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U.S. Marine Corps / Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

A U.S. Navy corpsman patrols an abandoned bazaar in Little Jugroom, Helmand province, Afghanistan, in September.