Lawmakers want more troops for Afghan war

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Success in Afghanistan hinges on a significant increase in the number of U.S. troops committed to turning the tide in the war, U.S. lawmakers say.

Public-opinion surveys in the United States suggest there is a growing frustration with the war effort in Afghanistan as U.S. military casualties mount and the war drags on.

An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal by Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham, along with Independent Joe Lieberman, note this frustration is understandable but reversible.

The lawmakers note the frustration and subsequent calls for withdrawal "reflect, more than anything, our failure to show progress in the war" in Afghanistan.

They write that it is imperative to make sure Afghanistan does not once again become a safe haven for terrorist organizations, a threat that could spill over to create problems in its nuclear-armed neighbor, Pakistan.

On the U.S. troop commitment, they counter claims made earlier by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, who said that an increased U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan gave the enemies of the United States an opportunity to "drive a wedge between us and the Afghan population."

"More troops will not guarantee success in Afghanistan, but a failure to send them is a guarantee of failure," the lawmakers counter in the Journal.