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With the Iraq war ended, now it's time to get out of Afghanistan (updated
The campaign promise:
•Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
http://change.gov/agenda/foreign_policy_agenda/|
http://change.gov/agenda/foreign_policy_agenda/|
Since then:
The Way Forward in Afghanistan
<...>
The President’s strategy, as laid out in his address on December 1, 2009, maintains the core goal laid out in the beginning of his administration: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qa’ida and prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future. To accomplish this, he said we would pursue three objectives: denying al-Qa’ida a safe haven, reversing the Taliban's momentum, and strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future. He also committed to begin the responsible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan beginning in July 2011.
On June 22, the President addressed the American people about the way forward in Afghanistan. We have made substantial progress on the objectives the President laid out at West Point, and he made clear that we will begin the drawdown of U.S. troops from a position of strength. We have exceeded our expectations on our core goal of defeating al-Qa’ida – killing 20 of its top 30 leaders, including Osama bin Laden. We have broken the Taliban’s momentum, and trained over 100,000 Afghan National Security Forces.
The President announced that the United States will withdraw 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and that the 33,000 “surge” troops he approved in December 2009 will leave Afghanistan by the summer of 2012.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/defense/afghanistan
<...>
The President’s strategy, as laid out in his address on December 1, 2009, maintains the core goal laid out in the beginning of his administration: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qa’ida and prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future. To accomplish this, he said we would pursue three objectives: denying al-Qa’ida a safe haven, reversing the Taliban's momentum, and strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future. He also committed to begin the responsible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan beginning in July 2011.
On June 22, the President addressed the American people about the way forward in Afghanistan. We have made substantial progress on the objectives the President laid out at West Point, and he made clear that we will begin the drawdown of U.S. troops from a position of strength. We have exceeded our expectations on our core goal of defeating al-Qa’ida – killing 20 of its top 30 leaders, including Osama bin Laden. We have broken the Taliban’s momentum, and trained over 100,000 Afghan National Security Forces.
The President announced that the United States will withdraw 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and that the 33,000 “surge” troops he approved in December 2009 will leave Afghanistan by the summer of 2012.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/defense/afghanistan
Panetta Arrives in Afghanistan to Assess Progress
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
KABUL. Afghanistan, Dec. 13, 2011 – Recognizing what he called a pivotal year in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived here today to thank U.S. service members for their role in reversing momentum against the Taliban, and to assure Afghan leaders of the United States’ continuing commitment as transition moves forward.
<...>
Panetta’s visit comes as the United States is working to speed up the training and deployment of Afghan forces, and after a national assembly conducted by Karzai endorsed a long-term security agreement with the United States.
The United States has about 94,000 service members in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said, and is on track to complete a drawdown of 10,000 troops by the year’s end.
President Barack Obama announced last summer that the first 10,000 of the 33,000 surge troops deployed to Afghanistan last year would return home this year. The rest of the surge forces are slated to redeploy next year.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66447
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
KABUL. Afghanistan, Dec. 13, 2011 – Recognizing what he called a pivotal year in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived here today to thank U.S. service members for their role in reversing momentum against the Taliban, and to assure Afghan leaders of the United States’ continuing commitment as transition moves forward.
<...>
Panetta’s visit comes as the United States is working to speed up the training and deployment of Afghan forces, and after a national assembly conducted by Karzai endorsed a long-term security agreement with the United States.
The United States has about 94,000 service members in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said, and is on track to complete a drawdown of 10,000 troops by the year’s end.
President Barack Obama announced last summer that the first 10,000 of the 33,000 surge troops deployed to Afghanistan last year would return home this year. The rest of the surge forces are slated to redeploy next year.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66447
Panetta, Karzai Salute Progress in Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai here today to laud the progress that’s been made in Afghanistan as they conducted what Panetta called “very productive discussions” about ways to build on it.
<...>
Panetta noted that based on Karzai’s transition plans announcement last month, half of the Afghan population will soon live under Afghan governance and security control.
This transition “represents the fact that we have now made important gains during the campaign,” Panetta said. “We are moving toward a strong Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself for the future.”
Particularly promising, he said, is the fact that these gains continue even as the United States begins the process of drawing down the first 10,000 of its surge forces.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66476
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai here today to laud the progress that’s been made in Afghanistan as they conducted what Panetta called “very productive discussions” about ways to build on it.
<...>
Panetta noted that based on Karzai’s transition plans announcement last month, half of the Afghan population will soon live under Afghan governance and security control.
This transition “represents the fact that we have now made important gains during the campaign,” Panetta said. “We are moving toward a strong Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself for the future.”
Particularly promising, he said, is the fact that these gains continue even as the United States begins the process of drawing down the first 10,000 of its surge forces.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66476
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Urges President Obama to Expedite Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Bi-partisan letter to Obama: No military solution in Afghanistan, bring troops home
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) were joined by 40 Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Obama urging him to speed up the return of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
“We are calling on President Obama to recognize that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, and the longer we keep our troops there the longer we delay the progress of an Afghan-produced political solution,” said Congresswoman Lee, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Peace and Security Task Force.
The latest poll indicates that 59 percent of likely voters want U.S. troops to withdraw within a year. Last week, the Senate adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act offered by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to require President Obama to submit a report detailing how U.S. troops will be quickly withdrawn from Afghanistan.
“Now that the President has accomplished every goal that was originally set in Afghanistan, it is time to bring home our brave men and women in uniform,” Lee continued. “After ten years and $460 billion invested in an unstable country with untrustworthy leadership, it is past time to end this war. The decade long war has already cost $444 billion of taxpayer dollars and taken the lives of 1,848 members of the armed services. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them, but they cannot be tasked with building up a modern nation state. It is time to bring our troops and tax dollars home.”
- more -
http://lee.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-urges-president-obama-to-expedite-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
Bi-partisan letter to Obama: No military solution in Afghanistan, bring troops home
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) were joined by 40 Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Obama urging him to speed up the return of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
“We are calling on President Obama to recognize that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, and the longer we keep our troops there the longer we delay the progress of an Afghan-produced political solution,” said Congresswoman Lee, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Peace and Security Task Force.
The latest poll indicates that 59 percent of likely voters want U.S. troops to withdraw within a year. Last week, the Senate adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act offered by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to require President Obama to submit a report detailing how U.S. troops will be quickly withdrawn from Afghanistan.
“Now that the President has accomplished every goal that was originally set in Afghanistan, it is time to bring home our brave men and women in uniform,” Lee continued. “After ten years and $460 billion invested in an unstable country with untrustworthy leadership, it is past time to end this war. The decade long war has already cost $444 billion of taxpayer dollars and taken the lives of 1,848 members of the armed services. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them, but they cannot be tasked with building up a modern nation state. It is time to bring our troops and tax dollars home.”
- more -
http://lee.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-urges-president-obama-to-expedite-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
13 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Or we could just shorten "privateers" to "pirates"...
