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Washington: United States Democrats, led by presidential hopeful Barack Obama, on Tuesday criticised President George W. Bush's plan to keep most US troops in Iraq and shift a few thousand to Afghanistan.
The Democratic presidential nominee said Bush’s plan does not do enough to combat surging violence in Afghanistan.
"His plan comes up short - it is not enough troops, and not enough resources, with not enough urgency," Obama told reporters in Ohio.
"I will finally have a comprehensive strategy to finish the job in Afghanistan - with more troops, more training of Afghan security forces…and more focus on eliminating the Taliban and Al Qaida sanctuary along the Pakistan border," the Illinois senator added.
The new plan involves the return of 8,000 combat and support personnel from Iraq by February 2009, and the deployment of a fresh Marine battalion and an Army combat brigade to Afghanistan by January.
McCain has backed Bush's strategy of refusing to set a timeline for pulling troops out of Iraq and withdrawing forces only as security conditions in the war zone allow. But he has also called for more combat troops for Afghanistan.
Democrats on Capitol Hill, too, disparaged Bush's decision.
"Given the increasingly violent situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I am stunned that President Bush has decided to bring so few troops home from Iraq and send so few resources to Afghanistan," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
But White House Dana Perino dismissed Reid's comments: "When Senator Reid becomes commander in chief, he'll have a little bit more credibility on that score.”
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