BBC: AS kirim bala bantuan ke Afghanistan

Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama memerintah pengirimkan bala bantuan pasukan tambahan ke Afghanistan. Dalam pernyataan, dia mengatakan, 17.000 personel militer diperlukan untuk menstabilkan situasi yang memburuk. Dari Washington, Justin Webb mengirimkan laporan berikut.

This is the first big military decision from the new White House team. In a written statement, Mr Obama said Afghanistan had not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently required.

Speaking on Air Force One, the president's spokesman Robert Gibbs suggested that the extra troops were sorely needed in order to address an immediate crisis combating a deteriorating situation ahead of a Taleban spring offensive.

In the longer term though it's not yet clear what the president intends to do about Afghanistan. In advance of a visit to Canada he told a Canadian TV interviewer that he thought the war was still winnable, al-Qaeda could still be stamped out. On the other hand he said the spread of extremism could not be stopped solely through military means, diplomacy and development were also important.

He may well add to the seventeen thousand troop reinforcements, his commanders would like more, but the president has yet to decide on a long-term plan.

Justin Webb, BBC News, Washington

the new White House team
tim orang-orang yang bekerja untuk Presiden Obama

strategic
strategis, direncanakan baik di depan untuk suatu tujuan tertentu

Air Force One
pesawat kepresidenan Amerika Serikat (yang kerap disebut 'Gedung Putih terbang')

sorely needed
benar-benar perlu

combating a deteriorating situation
mencoba mencengah situasi yang buruk memburuk

spring offensive
serangan militer yang terjadi di musim semi

winnable
dengan peluang untuk meraih kemenangan

stamped out
dibasmi, digusur

solely through military means
hanya dengan sarana militer, hanya menggunakan pasukan bersenjata

reinforcements
bala bantuan, tentara yang dikirim untuk memperkuat pasukan yang sudah anda

Source: bbc dot co dot uk