President Obama’s national security team is contemplating troop reductions in Afghanistan that would be steeper than those discussed even a few weeks ago, with some officials arguing that such a change is justified by the rising cost of the war and the death of Osama bin Laden, which they called new “strategic considerations.”
....
But the latest strategy review is about far more than how many troops to take out in July, Mr. Gates and other senior officials said over the weekend. It is also about setting a final date by which all of the 30,000 surge troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
A separate timetable would dictate the departure of all foreign troops by 2014, including about 70,000 troops who were there before the surge, as agreed to by NATO and the Afghan government.Read the rest at NYT
Monday, June 06, 2011
Obama Mulling Earlier Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Obama meets with his national security team today on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is mulling an earlier withdrawal from Afghanistan. Exiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates warns against withdrawing too soon-- what is too soon? I respect Gates, but I hope Obama chooses to bring most of the troops home, the sooner the better. The troop drawdown is expected to begin in July.
