Obama sobered by seeing bodies of Americans killed in Afghanistan

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Facing a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops to fight in Afghanistan, President Obama told reporters today that he was reminded of the pain of war during his late-night trip to Dover Air Force Base, where he witnessed the return of 18 American bodies from the war-torn country.

“Well, obviously it was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day -- not only our troops but their families as well,” Obama told reporters after meeting with Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, the longtime former prime minister who has remained a power and holds the title of minister mentor. “Michelle and I are constantly mindful of those sacrifices.”

Obama is weighing a military request for up to 40,000 troops in addition to the 68,000 already authorized in Afghanistan, where the United States and NATO have been fighting a resurgent Taliban for more than eight years. There are also more than 40,000 NATO personnel in Afghanistan.

There is no timetable for Obama to announce a decision on the request. Speaking in Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that she expected a decision would come after Nov. 7, when Afghanis are scheduled to hold the second round of their presidential election.

“I would imagine that he will be coming to a decision sometime after the Afghan election is finally resolved,” Clinton told a group of Pakistani journalists during an interview in Lahore.
Republicans, who support the request for more troops, have been urging Obama to act quickly. The president has said he is examining a range of issues, including what should be the goals of the mission before sending more troops into harm’s way.

Obama has met with his national security team and chief military commanders at least six times. He is scheduled to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday.

October has been the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with 18 killed this week. The continuing violence led the president to the unannounced trip to Dover.

“Obviously the burden that both our troops and our families bear in any wartime situation is going to bear on how I see these conflicts,” Obama said today. “And it is something that I think about each and every day.”

– Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal