Local News
Southern Iowans have mixed reaction to troop buildup
With 30,000 American troops soon headed for Afghanistan, southern Iowans are mixed as to whether or not President Obama’s plan is the right one.
The president’s goal is to deny al-Qaida a safe haven, reverse the Taliban’s momentum and stabilize the country’s government. Obama hopes the surge will help bring the war in Afghanistan to a successful end, according to The Associated Press. He said this week that troops will begin withdrawing in July 2011.
“I think they’ve been over there long enough,” said Erika Clubb, of Sigourney. “It’s time they [committed resources] here; we have problems right here.”
Steve Coop, a Niman Ranch pork producer from Fairfield, has a different opinion.
“I think it needs to be done. That’s where al-Qaida did all their training,” Coop said. “Not that I’m a fan of war, but it’s necessary.
“I think he did the right thing,” Coop said, adding he wasn’t surprised by Obama’s announcement.
However, Coop believes setting a deadline to withdraw troops was wrong. When a deadline is set, people know they can lay low until the troops leave, he said.
The first troops will arrive by Christmas, according to the AP. Most of the new forces will be combat troops. There are already about 71,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The headlines impact Cathy Askew of Packwood on a personal level. She’s the mother of two soldiers. Her daughter, an Army captain, just got back from Iraq in September. Her son, a non-commissioned officer, is heading to Afghanistan.
“I miss my son, but he loves the service,” said Askew. “So does my daughter. But I’m really proud of them.”
She said to keep themselves safe over there, the troops need to look out for one another, and that means having enough support.
“I wish they’d send 40,000,” Askew said. “In Afghanistan, I don’t know how they’d defend themselves if they were down below and the [enemy forces] where above them. I’ve seen the pictures.”
She’d rather her children not get sent into combat. But if they are going to send troops, she said, do it right.
“They need to get in there and get it taken care of — no screwing around,” Askew said. “This is why they have to go in — it didn’t get taken care of at first.”
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