U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama"s plan to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. In a written statement, Ban praised Obama"s aim to "balance military and civilian efforts" and focus on strengthening institutions and security forces in Afghanistan, noting that it would be a long-term but essential process. Obama"s decision will bring the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to nearly 100,000.
