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GLORIA PENNER: President Barack Obama still hasn't made a decision whether
to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
While the debate continues in Washington,
marines at Camp Pendleton are preparing for another deployment.
The decision to send more troops could hinge on what happens
in Afghanistan's presidential runoff election taking place in November.
Tony, we want to here about your upcoming trip to Afghanistan.
But first, can you tell me how local our marines are preparing
for the possibility of a troop increase.
TONY PERRY (San Diego Bureau Chief, LA Times): Well, they are doing all sorts of things,
I mean they are training at Pendleton, 29 Palms, the Bridgeport Mountain Facility,
they're learning how to dodge these improvised explosive devices
that are the number one killer of marines.
They are learning how to interact with Afghans.
Some of them are even learning Pashtun, the language.
They'e moving full speed ahead as if the word is going to be more troops
and for an extended period of time.
PENNER: Give us some numbers.
PERRY: Well, there are now maybe 3,000 Camp Pendleton marines and sailors in Afghanistan.
A couple of battalions, Special Forces folks, trying to win hearts and minds, some of them.
Some are into the locate, enclose, engage Taliban in combat.
So, they are all over the place.
There in now one province, the Helman Province, that's in the south.
It's a big poppy growing -that's the heroine crop.
It's a Taliban stronghold, they are trying to wean the populace away from the Taliban
and grow the Afghan National Army.
PENNER: But is that really a given that we are going to have a troop increase in Afghanistan?
The president has to have a lot of considerations before he makes that decision.
What are those considerations?
BARBARA BRY (Opinion Editor and Co-Publisher, SDNN.com):
I think he has to consider whether it's in the interest of U.S. national security.
Are these people terrorists who are going come over the United States?
Is the Taliban just an internal group that's only in Afghanistan?
One of the concerns is getting more traction in Pakistan and getting more traction
in Pakistan is dangerous because Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
PENNER: We are having this runoff election, scheduled, theoretically,
for the first week in November, Tony.
And that seems to be a very important, possibly a turning point.
How might that runoff election between Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah impact the decision?
PERRY: It's very important to folks in Washington.
Their paradigm is that they want a better partner in Kabul.
Using that leverage, they basically forced Karzai
into this runoff of this very disputed election.
It reminds me a lot of our relations
with the Mexican government when it comes to fighting drugs.
How many times have we told them that unless they clean up their internal act,
we really won't partner with them.
At the end of the day, we do what's in your interest.
You do, as a nation, what's in your interests,
you partner with those people that's in your best interest.
Even frankly, if in both cases, Kabul and Mexico City,
there isn't the cleanliness that you would like.
Is it in your interest to do business with a man, you don't want to marry his sister,
you just want to do business with him because it's in your interest.
PENNER: Well, you certainly have a point of view,
one that will probably develop a little bit more when you are in Afghanistan.
You'll be leaving for that trip in a week I guess.
You're going to Helman Province...
PERRY: I fly to Kabul, spend a while there and then I'll get down to Helman Province to be
with the marines from Camp Pendleton, spend a month with them.
PENNER: And what stories do you plan to cover?
PERRY: As always: How are they doing?
What's a day-to-day life like young marines and sailors in Helman Province?
How are they interrelated to Afghans?
Does it seem to be working?
Or, is it not, are they weaning the Afghans away from the Taliban?
Are they growing the Afghan Security Forces as we'd like?
Are they training up?
It's the little picture.
How are they doing and how does it fit into larger picture.
PENNER: But, it's interesting because we have been fighting in Afghanistan for twice as long
as we have been fighting in World War II.
And it's costing this country $60 billion a year.
And, I'm just wondering whether there is some public resistance now
to continuing sending troops to Afghanistan.
BRY: Well, public opinion is now divided on this issue.
It just may be that Afghanistan is a country that is very difficult to control.
It's got a lot of people.
It's got a difficult geography.
The Russians had to pull out of Afghanistan, they just couldn't manage it.
It just may be that we are going to have to figure out a way to deal
with our national security and have a smaller presence than we do now.
PENNER: Thank you, Barbara Bry.
Good luck to you Tony, stay safe.