Obama halts Afghanistan troop withdrawal

[erpowers]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)The United States will keep its current level of 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through the end of the year, rather than reducing that number to 5,500 as planned, the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement comes as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visits President Barack Obama and attends a series of meetings at the White House. The two plan to hold a joint news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Ghani has requested that the U.S. consider adjusting its troop withdrawal timeline, with greater support from U.S. troops over the next few years during a transition to a complete withdrawal.

Currently, there are 9,800 U.S. troops providing training and support in Afghanistan, as well as 3,000 troops from other NATO countries. The Obama administration plans to reduce that number to about 5,500 by the end of this year before withdrawing completely by the end of 2016.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/24/politics/obama-afghan-president-ghani-meeting/index.html

[ann---]

1. Another broken promise

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Yep,

along with so many others.

[tridim]

3. So, impeachment again?

Maybe double secret impeachment, since you have apparently ID'ed just one of many broken promises. Right Ann?



From the article you didn't read:

"The timeline for a withdrawal down to a embassy center presence, a normalization of our presence in Afghanistan, remains the end of 2016," Obama said in a joint press conference with Ghani Tuesday afternoon. "So that hasn't changed. Our transition out of a combat role has not changed."

[former9thward]

10. The war in Afghanistn is lost.

The Taliban control the entire country except Kabul and the Taliban have shown the ability to attack there at will. Obama wants the chaos which will follow the American withdrawal thrown on the next president. He is hoping the Taliban will be content to wait that long.

[EX500rider]

11. "The Taliban control the entire country except Kabul"

They didn't even control the entire country when there were in charge pre-9-11.

The Taliban are mostly concentrated in the east, near the Waziristan region of the Pakistani tribal territories and in the south in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, where nearly all the heroin comes from. They are universally hated in the rest of the country.

[former9thward]

12. When American troops leave the Taliban will take over.

And the spinning will begin.

[msanthrope]

4. Had you read the ACTUAL ARTICLE--the timeline remains the same for withdrawal, but we keep

more troops until the end.

It isn't an optimal situation, but I trust President Obama.

[ann---]

6. No, just disappointment

[riderinthestorm]

5. Prolonging the inevitable descent into civil war

Ashraf Ghani is between a rock and a hard place.

I feel for the guy but unfortunately, it's time for us to get out of there.

If 12+ years of massive US support wasn't enough time to build an army, I'm sure 6 more months won't be the tipping point.

[WilliamPitt]

7. Welcome, my friends, to the show that never ends.

[OnyxCollie]

9. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[GeorgeGist]

13. Jail Bush!

[madville]

14. And all those in Congress at the time

That voted for these failed wars!