Afghanistan may be tougher job than Iraq: Obama
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Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says Afghanistan might end up being tougher to subdue than Iraq, days after visiting both war zones.
The White House hopeful told Time magazine in an interview that his two trips had confirmed in his mind many of his earlier thoughts about future US policy towards the two countries.
"I think in Afghanistan, looking at the landscape and the extraordinary poverty involved, makes you realise what a daunting task our efforts there are going to be," Senator Obama told Time.
"It redoubles my belief, or deepens my belief, that if we're going to get that done we're going to have put in more resources," he said in the interview posted on the magazine's website.
"Both issues (Iraq and Afghanistan) are very difficult. Both situations are very difficult, but it is not clear to me that in the long-term Afghanistan isn't a tougher job than Iraq is."
The Illinois Senator has laid out a plan to start withdrawals of combat troops from Iraq as soon as taking office, and would hope to get most US soldiers out of the country within 16 months.
He wants to divert at least two combat brigades to Afghanistan, amid worsening insurgent violence and security problems.
Senator Obama is in the middle of a gruelling tour of Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories and Europe, meant to assuage fears among some voters about whether he is ready to be president.
- AFP
