Reply #63: Not according to these reports:

[ProSense]

US eyes strategy for Afghanistan transition, withdrawal

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States remains committed to a strategy to draw down US forces in Afghanistan starting next July but is studying the "pace" of the transition, a senior official said Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama "has been clear that we will begin in July of 2011 a responsible transition to Afghan security forces from American combat forces," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"What's not clear... is the pace of that transition. And the degree to which (US troops are withdrawn) and how far we go how fast."

The official said an annual review of the US strategy is being prepared which "will help the president and his national security team make assessment about the pace of the transition that begins next summer."

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AP source: US reviewing its Afghanistan war plan

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer Robert Burns

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has begun its review of whether the administration's Afghan war strategy is working well enough to start withdrawing U.S. forces in July, an official said Tuesday.

The review is being conducted so the White House can measure whether Obama's 2009 order to commit 30,000 more troops has resulted in progress in the decade-old conflict.

It will be presented to the president in mid- to late-December, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.

Obama said his troop escalation was needed to break the momentum of the Taliban insurgency and to bolster the Afghan government. The review is supposed to determine whether the war strategy is on track and whether it is progressing as rapidly as possible.

Numerous senior military commanders and administration officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, have said they are encouraged by signs of gradual progress in the battle against Taliban militants. But they also have said a lot more needs to be done before Afghanistan can stand on its own.

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