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Rasmussen sees more troops in Afghanistan

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The head of NATO says he expects substantially more troops to be sent into the fray against the Afghan insurgency.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, addressing the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland, expressed confidence the United States and other members of the military organization will beef up their contingents in Afghanistan, Voice of American reported Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama has yet to tip his hand on what tact his administration will take. However, Rasmussen said NATO will stay the course in Afghanistan.

"Do not make any mistake, we will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to finish our job," he said. "But that is, of course, not forever.

"Our mission in Afghanistan ends when the Afghans are capable to secure and run their country themselves. The way forward is to hand over lead responsibility for security to the Afghan security forces, district by district, province by province, as their own capacity develops."

British Foreign Minister David Miliband told the NATO gathering Tuesday "a winning strategy" in Afghanistan entails selecting, training, empowering, equipping and mentoring "those responsible for governing the provinces and districts" of the country.

"Success must be based on aligning our military and civilian resources under a clear political strategy," Miliband said. "A strategy that reassures and mobilizes ordinary Afghans to resist the Taliban, that divides the insurgency by reintegrating and reconciling those is search of money, status or power, not ideology, and that builds a new relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbors."

The strategy discussion occurs as Hamid Karzai is about to begin his second term as president of Afghanistan.

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Poll: U.S. split on Afghan buildup

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Americans are almost evenly divided on how many new troops President Barack Obama should send to Afghanistan, a poll indicated.

Given a choice, 46 percent said they preferred a larger number and 45 percent said they'd prefer a smaller number of new troops, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found.

Fifty-five percent said they think Obama will develop a successful Afghanistan strategy, though 52 percent of those polled said the Afghan war is not worth the cost compared with 44 percent who say the war has been worth fighting -- the lowest that number has been since the poll began asking the question in 2007, ABC said.

The president's ratings for his handling of the war are down from the summer -- 45 percent approve and 47 percent disapprove. Among independents, just 39 percent approve of Obama's handling of Afghanistan.

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has said the effort cannot succeed without 40,000 additional troops. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry has urged caution on sending large numbers of new troops to the country. Obama is expected to announce a strategy for Afghanistan after his return to Washington from his current tour of Asian capitols.

The poll was conducted by telephone among a random national sample of 1,001 adults Nov. 12-15. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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U.S., NYC split on civilian terror trial

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Public opinion in New York is split almost evenly on whether the avowed mastermind of the 2001 terrorist attacks should be tried in the city, a poll said.

While 45 percent of those surveyed said trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants in the city where almost 3,000 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, is a good idea, 41 percent disagreed, the Marist Institute of Public Opinion found.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll found the United States is also divided. Almost half, 47 percent, said the suspects should be tried in a civilian court and 48 percent said by a military tribunal. There was a partisan split, with 61 percent of Democrats saying they preferred a civilian court, while 58 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of independents said they preferred a tribunal.

Forty percent of those responding to the Marist poll said holding the trial in the city would increase the chance of another terrorist attack there.

Marist questioned 602 New York City residents by telephone on Nov. 16. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

For the Washington Post-ABC poll, 1,001 people were surveyed between Nov. 12 and Nov. 15. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

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U.S. dismayed by Israel's building plans

JERUSALEM, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The United States voiced dismay Tuesday over Israel's plan to expand settlements in East Jerusalem, saying the decision hinders the Middle East peace process.

"At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations."

The Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved the construction plan, despite an Israeli newspaper publishing an article stating the United States specifically objected to the construction plan, Haaretz reported.

"The (United States) also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes," Gibbs said. "Our position is clear: The status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties."

The planned 900 housing units, named "Gilo's western slopes," represents a significant expansion of the neighborhood, Haaretz said.

Officials said the abandonment of another construction area created the need for new land for the housing project that is beyond the so-called Green Line separating Israel from its neighbors and territories such as West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights.

Moshe Ben Shushan, chairman of the Gilo community administration, said he was amazed by the U.S. disapproval, calling it "a trend of interference in Israel's policies."

"I have never thought of Gilo as a settlement," he said.