Obama Announces Troop Reductions, Way Forward in Afghanistan
(June 24, 2011) |
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President Barack Obama addresses the
nation about the way forward in Afghanistan and his plan to remove
10,000 American troops from the country by the end of this year,
with a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, at the White House,
June 22, 2011. White House photo by Chuck Kennedy |
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WASHINGTON, June 22, 2011 – Thanks to the tremendous progress U.S.,
coalition and Afghan troops have made, the United States will draw
down the number of troops in Afghanistan by 10,000 this year and by
a total of 33,000 by the end of summer 2012, President Barack Obama
said here tonight.
“The tide of war is receding,” the
president said during an address to the nation from the White House.
“Fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm's way.”
In a statement released by the Pentagon following the presiden'ts
announcement, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the president's
decision capitalizes on the security successes.
“Over the
past 18 months our troops have made tremendous progress degrading
the capability of the Taliban while enhancing the Afghan security
forces,” Gates said. “It is critical that we continue to
aggressively prosecute that strategy. I support the President's
decision because it provides our commanders with enough resources,
time and, perhaps most importantly, flexibility to bring the surge
to a successful conclusion.” |
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When completed in September 2012, the drawdown will remove the last
of the plus-up of forces in Afghanistan that Obama ordered in
December 2009 during a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, N.Y.
In that same speech, the president announced the new Afghan
strategy, which was to focus on al-Qaida, reverse the
Taliban's momentum and to train Afghan security forces. He
also announced that the drawdown would begin in July 2011.
Obama said his announcement tonight is proof that the
strategy is working. “Thanks to our men and women in
uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition
partners, we are meeting our goals,” he said. When the first
stage of the drawdown is complete in September 2012, the
surge will be over.
U.S. troops will continue to
drawdown as Afghan security forces take the lead for
protecting their own country. As this continues, the U.S.
mission will switch from combat to support.
“By 2014,
this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan
people will be responsible for their own security,” Obama
said.
The United States ended its combat role in Iraq
last year and there are now about 45,000 U.S. troops in Iraq
providing training and support to Iraqi security forces. The
reduction of 33,000 troops by the end of summer 2012 will
mean about 65,000 Americans in Afghanistan.
“Even as
there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a
secure peace can be seen in the distance,” Obama said.
“These long wars will come to a responsible end.”
Obama said the past 10 years have been difficult for
America. “We have learned anew the profound cost of war -- a
cost that has been paid by the nearly 4,500 Americans who
have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have
done so in Afghanistan – men and women who will not live to
enjoy the freedom that they defended,” he said. “Thousands
more have been wounded. Some have lost limbs on the field of
battle, and others still battle the demons that have
followed them home.”
The president pledged that
America will honor the sacrifices of so many and keep the
sacred trust to provide the families of the fallen, those
wounded and the veterans of the conflict “the care, and
benefits, and opportunity that you deserve.”
In a
background briefing before the speech, senior administration
officials said the president's decision had the full support
of the national security team. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the
commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force
in Afghanistan, presented the president with a range of
options and the risks associated with each.
“I think
there's a broad understanding among the national security
team that there's an imperative to both consolidate the
gains that have been made and continue our efforts to train
Afghan security forces and partner with them in going after
the Taliban, while also being very serious about the process
of transition and the drawdown of our forces,” the official
said.
The drawdown begins from a position of
strength, Obama said. Al-Qaida and its Taliban allies are
under tremendous pressure. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden
in Pakistan and more than half of al-Qaida's leadership has
been killed or captured.
“In Afghanistan, we've
inflicted serious losses on the Taliban and taken a number
of its strongholds,” the president said. “Along with our
surge, our allies also increased their commitments, which
helped stabilize more of the country. Afghan security forces
have grown by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and
municipalities we have already begun to transition
responsibility for security to the Afghan people.”
Everything is not rosy, the president said, and the United
States remains committed to preserving the gains made and
expanding on them. “We do know that peace cannot come to a
land that has known so much war without a political
settlement,” he said. “So as we strengthen the Afghan
government and security forces, America will join
initiatives that reconcile the Afghan people, including the
Taliban.” Any reconciliation will be done with Afghans in
the lead.
“The goal that we seek is achievable, and
can be expressed simply: no safe-haven from which al-Qaida
or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland,
or our allies,” the president said.
“We will not try
to make Afghanistan a perfect place. We will not police its
streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. That is the
responsibility of the Afghan government, which must step up
its ability to protect its people; and move from an economy
shaped by war to one that can sustain a lasting peace,"
Obama said. "What we can do, and will do, is build a
partnership with the Afghan people that endures – one that
ensures that we will be able to continue targeting
terrorists and supporting a sovereign Afghan government.”
The president also addressed the terrorist threat that
resides in Pakistan. “No country is more endangered by the
presence of violent extremists, which is why we will
continue to press Pakistan to expand its participation in
securing a more peaceful future for this war-torn region,”
he said.
The United States will continue to work with
Pakistani leaders to go after terrorists. “We will insist
that it keep its commitments,” he said. “For there should be
no doubt that so long as I am president, the United States
will never tolerate a safe-haven for those who aim to kill
us: they cannot elude us, nor escape the justice they
deserve.”
The president stressed that America's
strength overseas is anchored by prosperity and opportunity
at home. “Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion
dollars on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic
times,” he said. “Now, we must invest in America's greatest
resource – our people. We must unleash innovation that
creates new jobs and industry, while living within our
means.”
He said the nation needs to rebuild its
infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy.
“Most of all, after a decade of passionate debate, we must
recapture the common purpose that we shared at the beginning
of this time of war,” he said. “For our nation draws
strength from our differences, and when our union is strong
no hill is too steep and no horizon is beyond our reach.
“America, it is time to focus on nation building here at
home,” he said. |
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2011 |
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