Afghan army could swell to 3,000 soldiers

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. commander of the war in Afghanistan said Tuesday he hopes to have 2,000 to 3,000 Afghan soldiers trained for a new national army within six months.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. Central Command, said "time will decide" how much larger the national army would get. He described the 2,000-3,000 goal as an "initial target."

The training is being conducted by soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group. French soldiers also are involved.

Speaking in a video-teleconference from Tampa, Fla., near his Central Command headquarters, Franks told reporters at the Pentagon that he anticipates that training an Afghan army will be difficult.

"I will not be a little Johnny Sunshine on this thing," he said. "I think we need to be realistic. … I don’t delude myself in believing this will be an easy task. We don’t know how it will go."

In a related development, Canada announced Tuesday it was bringing home its 800 ground troops from Afghanistan this summer.

Defense Minister Art Eggleton said other Canadian troops would maintain their roles in the U.S.-led campaign.

Canada’s military resources were stretched by participation in peacekeeping missions and other duties around the world, making it difficult to maintain the 800 Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry troops based in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he said.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the House voted Tuesday for a $1.4 billion Afghanistan aid package that urges President Bush to devise a strategy for preventing the war-torn nation from sinking into violent chaos.

A key piece of the aid legislation, sent to the Senate on a 390-22 vote, requires Bush to develop, within 45 days, a plan to improve Afghanistan’s internal security.