The Objectives
Excerpts of President Obama's Full Speech on Troop Reduction in
Afghanistan
By the time I took office, the war in Afghanistan had entered
its seventh year. But al Qaeda’s leaders had escaped into
Pakistan and were plotting new attacks, while the Taliban had
regrouped and gone on the offensive. Without a new strategy and
decisive action, our military commanders warned that we could
face a resurgent al Qaeda and a Taliban taking over large parts
of Afghanistan.
For this reason, in one of the most difficult decisions that
I’ve made as President, I ordered an additional 30,000 American
troops into Afghanistan. When I announced this surge at West
Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al Qaeda, to
reverse the Taliban’s momentum, and train Afghan security
forces to defend their own country. I also made it clear that
our commitment would not be open-ended, and that we would begin
to draw down our forces this July.
Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment.
Thanks to our extraordinary men and women in uniform, our
civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are
meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be
able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end
of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by
next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West
Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue
coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into
the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By
2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan
people will be responsible for their own security.
We’re starting this drawdown from a position of strength. Al
Qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11.
Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of
al Qaeda’s leadership. And thanks to our intelligence
professionals and Special Forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the
only leader that al Qaeda had ever known …
The information that we recovered from bin Laden’s compound
shows al Qaeda under enormous strain. Bin Laden expressed
concern that al Qaeda had been unable to effectively replace
senior terrorists that had been killed, and that al Qaeda has
failed in its effort to portray America as a nation at war with
Islam -– thereby draining more widespread support. Al Qaeda
remains dangerous, and we must be vigilant against attacks. But
we have put al Qaeda on a path to defeat, and we will not relent
until the job is done.
In Afghanistan, we’ve inflicted serious losses on the Taliban
and taken a number of its strongholds. 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’ve
already begun to transition responsibility for security to the
Afghan people. In the face of violence and intimidation, Afghans
are fighting and dying for their country, establishing local
police forces, opening markets and schools, creating new
opportunities for women and girls, and trying to turn the page on
decades of war.
Cost
Obama touching on the cost of the decade-long war on terror
“Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on
war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. It is time
to focus on nation-building here at home.”
22 June 2011, Obama’s speech from the White House East Room
Pakistan
Outlining the administration’s approach towards Pakistan
“ … need to work with the Pakistani government to root out
the cancer of violent extremism, and we will insist that it keeps
its commitments … ”
22 June 2011, Obama’s speech from the White House East Room
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