Karzai presses top US military leader

[December 22, 2008]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- President Hamid Karzai is pressing America's top military officer about where 20,000 to 30,000 new U.S. troops will be operating in Afghanistan.

Karzai met with Adm. Mike Mullen in Kabul on Monday. Mullen is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He announced over the weekend that Afghanistan could see up to 30,000 new U.S. troops by summer.

Karzai's office said in a statement that Mullen told the president the new troops would be sent to insecure regions, particularly along the Pakistan border.

The Afghan president also told Mullen that the troops need to be careful in Afghan villages. Karzai has long decried the civilian casualties caused by some military operations.

[Associated Press]

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