LINDA WERTHEIMER, host:
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And I'm Renee Montagne.
For all the troops the U.S. is sending to Afghanistan, the war there depends quite a bit on a factor beyond American control. That factor is Afghanistan itself. President Obama acknowledged the challenge this month as he deployed extra troops.
President BARACK OBAMA: We must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government, so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future.
MONTAGNE: Still, the U.S. has learned over the past eight ye
