Gates says first US troops in Afghanistan in weeks

The first new US troops should reach Afghanistan in two to three weeks, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday as a leading senator questioned President Barack Obamas plan for a speedy but limited surge to turn the tide against the Taliban. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton said that a democratic and stable Pakistan was needed to win the war in Afghanistan.Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mike Mullen, chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared before a Senate committee to build support for Obamas plan to send 30,000 more US troops into the conflictbut to start bringing them home after 18 months.The essence of our civil-military plan is to clear, hold, build, and transfer, Gates said. Beginning to transfer security responsibility to the Afghans in summer 2011 is critical and, in my, view achievable.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Afghan President Hamid Karzai must follow through on promises to fight corruption and urged the re-integration of Taliban members who renounced violence. She said that a democratic and stable Pakistan is needed to win the war in Afghanistan.Defending President Barack Obamas revised strategy for the Afghan war, Clinton said Karzais new term offered a window of opportunity but his words must be matched with action and corrupt officials apprehended.She backed an Afghan-led effort to bring in moderate Taliban who renounced violence. All Afghans should have the choice to pursue a better future if they do so peacefully, respect the basic human rights of their fellow citizens, and renounce al Qaeda, she told lawmakers.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says President Barack Obamas new surge-and-endgame strategy in Afghanistan will help military forces find a better focus for their mission.Adm. Mike Mullen, in remarks prepared for a hearing on Obamas plan by the Senate Armed Services Committee, also said he thought it was wise for the president to have taken time in making his decision. Mullen told lawmakers, I believe the time we took was well worth it.Mullen also said in Wednesdays testimony that the addition of 30,000 troops and whatever additional forces allies supply will help military commanders to better tailor this campaign of counterinsurgency on the ground.