Tuesday, June 21 – According to administration officials, the size of the troops that are going to be withdrawn from Afghanistan is going to be announced by US President Barack Obama. He is going to announce the troops cuts down during a speech on Wednesday evening.
Military officials have proposed removing 3,000 to 5,000 of the surge troops in July and as many as 5,000 more after the current fighting season ends this fall.
The announcement, which follows Mr. Obama’s consultations with the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, is expected to set the pace for the full withdrawal of the surge forces. The military has proposed ending the surge in the fall of 2012, which would give the troops two warm-weather fighting seasons, the period when the Taliban steps up its attacks—before reducing forces to pre-escalation levels.
According to an official, Mr Obama may even announce a final date for the withdrawal of all the surge forces sometime in 2012, but leave the timetable for incremental reductions up to commanders in the field – much as he did in drawing down troops after the surge in Iraq
But according to Jay Carney the white house press secretary, Mr Obama has not yet finalised his decision.
Mr. Carney further added that Mr. Obama was reviewing the options and the assessments and conferring with his national-security team.
Mr. Obama is under pressure from key allies in Congress, including Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, to withdraw as many as 15,000 of the surge troops by year’s end. Those advocating a faster pullout say the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a Navy SEAL raid last month means the U.S. is accomplishing its goals and can afford a less troop-intensive campaign.
Mr. Obama will travel to Fort Drum, N.Y., where he will deliver remarks and meet with troops soon after he announces his decision.
Fort Drum is home to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, which has been deployed numerous times to Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Obama announced the 33,000 troop surge Afghanistan in December 2009 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
