Wire: Gen. McChrystal's Afghanistan Troops Request Ready

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2009 -- Newswire services this afternoon reported that the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has drawn up a detailed request for additional troops but has not yet sent it to Washington, a spokesman said on Saturday.

The spokesman said General Stanley McChrystal completed the document this week, setting out exactly how many U.S. and NATO troops, Afghan security force members and civilians he thinks he needs, Reuters news service reported.

"We're working with Washington as well as the other NATO participants about how it's best to submit this," said the spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Tadd Sholtis, declining to give details of the contents.

He said it might be "a few weeks" before McChrystal sent his request to Washington or NATO's Brussels headquarters.

The announcement that Gen. McChrystal has already determined how many troops he wants comes just days after President Barack Obama said he was in no hurry to make a decision about his administration's faltering Afghanistan strategy.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: U.S. Afghanistan commander's troops request ready