A looming US decision on troop drawdowns in Afghanistan could include a timeline for pulling out 30,000 “surge” forces deployed last year, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said.
In a farewell visit to Afghanistan before quitting as Pentagon chief, Gates indicated for the first time on Sunday that US President Barack Obama may lay out a long-term plan for US troop levels over the next few years.
Obama is to reveal soon how many US troops will return home next month as control of security passes from foreign to Afghan troops in seven areas, amid reports that the figure could be higher than planned even a few weeks ago.
The transfer marks the first phase of a handover due to conclude by the end of 2014, when all foreign combat troops are supposed to have withdrawn.
Speaking to US Marines in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, one of the war’s worst battlefields, Gates said there were “two intermediate numbers that need to be resolved.”
“One is, what is the size of the reduction that will be announced in July?” he said. “But the other is, at what point do you bring home the surge [forces]?”
Obama sent 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in a bid to reverse a Taliban insurgency that has become increasingly deadly since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down their regime, and vowed to begin a pullout by the middle of this year.
The “surge” of US reinforcements implied a “temporary” move, said Gates, before asking: “So how long should the surge last?”
“And I think that is the second bookend, if you will, in the decision that I think the president is going to need to make over the course of the next few weeks,” he added.
With US public opposition to the war growing and patience in Congress wearing thin, Obama faces a difficult decision on troop numbers just as commanders say they are making headway.
The killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALs at his hideout in Pakistan last month has fueled calls for a major withdrawal.
The New York Times reported on Monday that White House national security advisers are pondering much bigger reductions than those discussed even a few weeks ago following bin Laden’s death and amid concerns over the war’s cost.
Obama is expected to announce his decision on troop withdrawals in a speech to the nation this month, it added.
US officials were previously anticipating an initial drawdown of 3,000 to 5,000 troops, the paper said.
Gates said on the first day of his Afghan visit on Saturday that a “modest” number of troops would likely be pulled out next month.
He also argued for maintaining pressure on the insurgents to force them to the negotiating table — possibly by the end of the year.
In another visit to a base on the outskirts of Kandahar City, Gates made clear he would prefer to start pulling out support troops rather than combat forces, saying: “If it were up to me, I would leave the shooters for last.”
However, he later acknowledged to reporters that withdrawal plans would have to draw from both support troops and combat units.
General David Petraeus, the US commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan, has also repeatedly warned against too hasty a withdrawal of troops, saying that while they have achieved considerable momentum, gains are fragile.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was