U.S. tinkering in Afghanistan

After failing to persuade NATO to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, the Bush administration has reluctantly approved a temporary increase of 3,200 American troops. While adding these troops is a step in the right direction, it is not enough.

Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated over the past two years, with suicide and roadside bombings now at unprecedented levels. Last year was the deadliest on record for U.S. and foreign troops; the Taliban have taken control of most of southern Afghanistan; and Al Qaeda has reestablished its command and control, its funding sources, and its training camps in the borderlands of Pakistan and AfghanistanAfghanistan needs much more than a token, temporary increase in U.S. forces.

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This article was originally published in The Boston Globe.