Obama says U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be under 5,000 by end of 2015
- 10 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday (May 27) that U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan will draw down to below 5,000 by the close of 2015, as the longest war in American history winds down.
Obama made the unscheduled announcement from the White House Rose Garden, saying the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan "will not be defined by war" but will be shaped by financial and development assistance as well as diplomatic support.
"By the end of 2016, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul with a security assistance component just as we have done in Iraq," Obama said, briefing reporters on the sequence of the gradual drawdown.
Since Afghanistan's general election on April 5, White House, State Department and Pentagon officials have resumed discussions on how many American troops should remain after the current U.S.-led coalition ends its mission this year.
Ten-thousand U.S. troops in Afghani
U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday (May 27) that U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan will draw down to below 5,000 by the close of 2015, as the longest war in American history winds down.
Obama made the unscheduled announcement from the White House Rose Garden, saying the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan "will not be defined by war" but will be shaped by financial and development assistance as well as diplomatic support.
"By the end of 2016, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul with a security assistance component just as we have done in Iraq," Obama said, briefing reporters on the sequence of the gradual drawdown.
Since Afghanistan's general election on April 5, White House, State Department and Pentagon officials have resumed discussions on how many American troops should remain after the current U.S.-led coalition ends its mission this year.
Ten-thousand U.S. troops in Afghani