Obama beefs up troops in Afghanistan

"Barack Obama on Tuesday approved the deployment of 17,000 new troops for Afghanistan as the US attempts to fight a growing insurgency by Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the war-torn country."

"In his first big military decision as commander-­in-chief, the president agreed to send 12,000 combat soldiers and marines and 5,000 support troops to bolster the 38,000 US troops in Afghanistan."

“The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan demands urgent attention and swift action. The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda supports the insurgency and threatens America from its safe haven along the Pakistani border,” he said."