Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Panetta: Obama weighing US presence in Afghanistan
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/12/11/2799293/panetta-says-syria-chemical-threat.htmlPanetta: Obama weighing US presence in Afghanistan
By ROBERT BURNS — The Associated Press
Published: December 11, 2012 Updated 7 hours ago
ALI AL-SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that President Barack Obama will decide in the next few weeks how many U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends in December 2014.
Panetta did not reveal what options Obama is considering, but officials have said he may settle on a figure between 6,000 and 10,000. There currently are about 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The post-2014 mission is expected to focus on counterterrorism and advising Afghan security forces.
Panetta spoke Wednesday to about 100 U.S. service members inside an aircraft hangar at this desert base west of Kuwait City. He thanked them for their service and emphasized that the U.S. is winding down its involvement in lengthy wars.
