Pentagon to White House, American People on Afghanistan: Take a Hike (July Drawdown to be 5,000)

Source: FDL

The Pentagon is working the press again, this time in support of a so-called withdrawal plan that would break a promise made to the American people by their president. According to The Wall Street Journal:

“U.S. military officers in Afghanistan have drawn up preliminary proposals to withdraw as many as 5,000 troops from the country in July and as many as 5,000 more by the year’s end…”

This joke of a “withdrawal” plan isn’t anything remotely approaching a real drawdown. It’s less than a 10 percent reduction in U.S. forces in Afghanistan over 6 months. It puts the Pentagon squarely at odds both with the stated desires of the White House and the very clearly articulated will of the American people. If you agree, sign Rethink Afghanistan’s petition to get the troops out of Afghanistan.

First, let’s remember what the White House said on this:

“After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home….ur troop commitment in Afghanistan cannot be open-ended — because the nation that I’m most interested in building is our own.”–President Barack Obama, Dec. 1, 2009.

“I’m confident that the withdrawal will be significant. People will say this is a real process of transition; this is not just a token gesture.”–President Barack Obama, April 15, 2011.

“In July of 2011, you’re going to see a whole lot of people moving out, bet on it.”–Vice President Joe Biden, qtd. in Jonathan Alter’s The Promise.

more: http://my.firedoglake.com/robertgreenwald/2011/05/10/pentagon-to-white-house-american-people-on-afghanistan-take-a-hike/

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US to Withdraw 70,000 (of 100,000) Troops From Afghanistan in Next Three Years

Source: PKKH

America would withdraw 70,000 troops from Afghanistan over the next three years and rely increasingly on special forces to lead operations in plans being discussed by the White House.

Commandos would continue missions to kill or capture insurgents and to train Afghan forces while conventional troops begin leaving in July according to reports.

The plan is being debated as commanders are said to be proposing Barack Obama begin the withdrawal by pulling out up to 10,000 troops by the end of this year.

The commander of British forces in Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the Taliban will exploit a power vacuum in Afghanistan after the 2014 security handover to local forces and that the West must not abandon the country.

more: http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/2011/05/11/us-to-withdraw-70000-troops-from-afghanistan-in-next-three-years/

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So, we are looking at 90,000 still in Afghanistan at the end of this year and 30,000 still there by the end of 2014? And, people still want to claim Obama is ending the war?

Gates has already slipped up and given us the low down on this.

Our Nobel Peace Prize president at work:puke:

5,000 of 100,000 is token. 90,000 remaining in 2012 is not a significant withdrawal. 30,000 after 2014? Please. There is no end in sight. We need to get out.

and accomplish NOTHING except keeping the money flowing to the merchants of death. A tragedy when viewed against the backdrop of our crumbling infrastructure and lack of jobs.