America will soon send between 20,000 and 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a move applauded by West-Central Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton .
To Congressman Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, this move is overdue.
"Yes, I’ve been quite concerned and, frankly, worried about Afghanistan getting out of hand," Skelton tells the Missourinet, "It is, afterall, the genesis of the attack on 9/11 and those people are still there and are very, very anxious to do something bad to the United States to to our population."
The announcement of the increased troop strength came from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. Mullen has said the additional troops will be on the ground in Afghanistan by summer.
We asked Skelton what might have prompted Mullen to make that decision.
"Reality," says Skelton, "the fact that we’re in trouble there and that things could get worse immediately causes us to have to put more troops there now."
Skelton says he hopes NATO will follow suit and increase its troop strength in Afghanistan, which he says is critical not just to the United States, but to the entire free world.
Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)
