Kerry to visit Afghanistan, Pakistan

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said he will go to Afghanistan and Pakistan to meet with U.S. military and local officials and get a better idea about strategy.

Kerry, Foreign Relations Committee chairman, hasn't endorsed Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendation for more troops in Afghanistan, where he is the top U.S. and NATO commander, The Hill reported Thursday. Kerry has said while more troops may be useful, their presence also would be expensive and could spur greater violence.

When announcing his plans Wednesday, Kerry said he was going next week "to really try to sink into my gut what's possible here, what do we believe we can achieve ... and I'm not telling you there won't be a way to use more troops intelligently."

President Barack Obama is considering McChrystal's proposal for a major troop buildup, but hasn't announced a decision.

Meanwhile, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has questioned whether it is wise to send more troops to Afghanistan, The Hill said.

"The problem with increasing the number of troops is that we become the lightening rod, and our presence runs the risk of inciting more anti-American sentiment that can become a recruiting tool for the very forces we seek to curtail," Obey said in a statement. "As an appropriator I must ask, what will that policy cost and how will we pay for it?"