By Adam Entous and Peter Graff
WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The top U.S. battlefield commander said on Wednesday that President Barack Obama's 30,000 extra troops for the Afghan war would make a huge difference, as the White House prepared to sell the new strategy to Congress.
In his speech on Tuesday night, Obama said raising U.S. troop levels to nearly 100,000 over the next six months aimed to step up the battle against the Taliban, secure the country and train Afghan forces so they can take over, allowing a quicker U.S. withdrawal.
Rising combat deaths and military costs have sapped U.S. public support for the 8-year-old war, and Obama's pledge to start bringing U.S. troops home after 18 months may help contain a rebellion among his fellow Democrats who oppose escalating the war.
Within hours of Obama's speech, delivered as Wednesday dawned in Afghanistan, top U.S. and NATO commander General Stanley McChrystal addressed his commanders by videophone and set off on a battlefield tour to rally his forces.
McChrystal said the extra forces would provide the help they need for their main effort: to speed up the training of Afghan security forces and protect towns and villages.
"At the end of the day, the success of this operation will be determined in the minds of the Afghan people," he said.
"It's not the number of people you kill; it's the number of people you convince. It's the number of people that don't get killed. It's the number of houses that are not destroyed. It's the number of children that do get to go to school."
Asked later if he was getting enough troops, he said: "I think it is going to make a huge difference. I think we'll be in great shape."
The Taliban said the plan would only increase their resolve.
"This strategy by the enemy will not benefit them," the Islamic insurgent group said in an e-mailed statement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement that Afghanistan welcomed Obama's change in strategy, although it did not provide a comment from Karzai himself.
"The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan hopes that the increase in American forces will provide improved security and protect the lives and livelihoods of the people," it said.
Karzai is due to announce the makeup of his new government in coming days, and Washington said it was watching closely after an August re-election marred by widespread voter fraud.
IN CONGRESS
Top Obama administration officials were due in Congress, where they can expect a grilling from Democrats wary of the escalation and Republicans suspicious of Obama's call for an 18-month timeline to begin withdrawing.
Vice President Joe Biden told NBC U.S. forces would have enough time to "break the momentum of the Taliban" and give Kabul the chance to reach out to Taliban members willing to accept political reconciliation.
"Our overarching goal is al Qaeda," Biden said on CBS. "We just cannot in the meantime afford to have the Taliban topple a government that has just been put in place and the chaos that would ensue as a consequence of that in the region."
Republican Senator John McCain quibbled with the 18-month timeline but offered his overall support.
"I think you could start seeing success within a year to 18 months," he said on NBC.
Congressional committees scheduled hearings Wednesday and Thursday to review the revised strategy, estimated to cost $30 billion (18 billion pounds) this fiscal year. Obama has the authority to send the soldiers, but Congress must approve the cost.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, were to appear.
McChrystal, who had recommended sending 40,000 troops, will testify next week.
Major U.S. troop movements are likely to begin in January and all 30,000 should be in place by the end of August, far faster than planners had earlier suggested but in line with McChrystal's request for reinforcements before the summer fighting season.
Allies were also expected to send more soldiers, with Obama saying "the common security of the world" was at stake.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged coalition countries to back Obama's initiative. French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the plans, but did not commit France to following suit. Poland said it might send 600 troops to boost its contingent of 2,000.
Other NATO members are expected to commit between 5,000 and 7,000 additional troops.
In his speech, Obama also focussed on Pakistan, saying a cancer had taken root in its border region with Afghanistan and promised U.S. help to end it. Some officials in Islamabad fear the U.S. surge in Afghanistan will further destabilize their country.
(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, David Morgan, Vicki Allen and Mohammad Zargham in WASHINGTON; Sayed Salahuddin in KABUL and Zeeshan Haider, Augustine Anthony and Michael Georgy in ISLAMABAD; Editing by David Fox and Doina Chiacu)
