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Subscribe to RSSPresident Barack Obama says NATO will lay out benchmarks for a "peaceful transition" and that "challenges in that environment" are an indication that "now is the time for us to transition."
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the United States and its partners were on track to turn over responsibilities to their Afghan counterparts and withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, in spite of recent riots sparked by the burning of several Qurans by U.S. soldiers at the Bagram airbase.
Obama said the riots were "tragic," and the violence directed at U.S. troops is "unacceptable."
"I think it is an indication of the challenges in that environment and it's an indication that now is the time for us to transition," the president said at a news conference.
Report: 5 soldiers involved in Quran burning
Despite an apology from Obama, the incident at Bagram airbase, which is being used by both U.S. and foreign forces under the NATO banner, ignited a wave of anti-Western fury across the country. Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence.
At least 30 people were killed in the protests.
Afghan clerics demand trial of Quran burners at US base
The Quran burnings hurt U.S. efforts to win more trust from Afghans, an essential part of efforts to weaken the Taliban and force the militant group to negotiate an end to the war, now in its 11th year.
Obama said Tuesday the U.S. needs to ensure a "gradual" transition of power in Afghanistan, adding that President Hamid Karzai is eager for more responsibility.
The U.S. is not interested in staying in Afghanistan any longer than necessary, Obama said.
"It's not going to be a smooth path, there are going to be bumps along the road just as there were in Iraq," he concluded.
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A little late, he should have pulled out the moment he got into office. I just don't get what we are waiting for, another 2 years, wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to long. Get out, and get out in a hurry is all I have to say.
How about another war with Iran??? It looks like the GOP voters in this country are hoping for another one. I hope you understand WHO in America wants the war (any war) to go on....and on.
VS. what??!!! US staying 'longer'? This Prez is a laugh a minute.
Might as well pull out now because Obama's policies have lost the war in Afghanistan anyway. It's hard to win a war when the Coward in Chief wants you to conduct it with your hands tied behind your back and with half the number of troops you need to succeed.
What makes you think the Washington Establishment did not succeed? Any idea of how much money their profiteering buddies racked up at our expense? No idea of what I'm talking about? That's what the Elite benefitting from the status quo depend on....active participation and complicity from millions of Citizens like yourself.
You are delusional.
Amen...get the hell out of that worthless failed scum bag country now!
2014 is not soon enough. Do it right away and you will get re-elected
Not bad....six years later than promised.
War is also over in Iraq...all troops removed or being removed are being replaced by extravagantly paid hired mercenaries that actually cost us more than our own military did. Easily verified for you Washington Establishment supporters.
The joke is not on you, you supporters are the joke.
The sooner the better.
Wonderful, but at the rate we're going, there won't be anybody left alive to pull out. How about NOW?
Mr. President : please define necessary. To the public eye, it appears the violence has not been curbed but seems to escalate instead. We went there originally to get Osama. Now he is gone and we are still there. Why ? we are not likely to change these people...they will carry on their way, with or without us and our $.
Don't worry. The closer it gets to November things will speed up. What a bunch of crap.
Why do we continue to stay there? If these idiots have not learned anything about security in ten years, they never will. It shows us how ignorant they are.
So sidesplittingly hilarious: "Obama: US not staying in Afghanistan longer than necessary"
As if the Nobel Peace Prize-winning FRAUD and Pope of False HOPE (and CHANGE) had anything to actually say about the matter: He has a Department of Defense which denies benefits and claims to Captain Susan Carlson, 55, as reported by the New York Times (February 25, 2012) through using the diagnosis "personality disorder" --denying benefits to over 65,000 PEOPLE who wore an American uniform in harm's way, JUST LIKE IN VIETNAM, and just like in Vietnam and in Iraq, it is not really a matter of whether or not Obama has any say in the matter--the fact is is that the Vietnamese and the Iraqi government chased the unwanted American torturers OUT and the Afghanistan people will do the same, in a most unceremonious way, for people who use the SS insignia, pee on dead corpses of "al Qaeda" or whatever they said they were, and who shoot civilians for sport, as 7 members of KILL-TEAM-7 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord had done, while serving at a base in Afghanistan named "ARYAN" or burn any books, just like the Nazis had done in Germany, France, and Poland, or abuse prisoners, as found in the investigation of the Bagram Airbase detention center Prisoner Abuse Scandal--well, there is no foundation for supporting this government, which uses Nazi-like Police State tactics on their own peacefully protesting civilians, while Mayor Bloomberg is spying on Muslim students, and having something called a "humanitarian intervention" in Libya (read: pre-emptive strike for regime change) as a pretext for carpet-bombing an entire nation so as to deny China the usage of premium quality sweet crude oil, the kind which Americans consume the most!
There is nothing here worth defending, and America for all purposes and intents is just one BIGGER Syria!
The sooner that the USA is finished and out of Afghanistan, the better off the people of the USA will be, not only monetarily, but morale aspects both.
Afghanistan is like a bottomless money pit where our very stupid congress keeps on throwing our money away on this wasted, useless worthless garbage pit of a country.
The current head of Afghanistan has been proven to be one of the biggest dope dealers in the world and consistently steals millions of dollars from the United States in every type of fraud possible, and he has his hands in all of it.
This conflict is a no win, no benefit no possible advantage of any type at all drag on the resources of America situation, not to mention the sacrafice of our fine young men and women who are giving their lifes so the crooks in this country can continue stealing from the United States.
Hate to call President Obama a liar. We're in Afghanistan today which is longer than necessary.
In case anyone cares in the upcoming elections, the reason we're still there is b/c the 'end game' goal is to establish a permanent base in the country. The US still has 75,000+ 'contractors' (read: mercenaries) and military personnel in the country of Iraq. If you're lucky, that's what you can expect out of Afghanistan starting in 2014 until the rights to one of the biggest military bases in the world are secured.
Vote Ron Paul and end this cycle of madness.
The US military needs to be on track to be out of Afghanistan by April of THIS YEAR! The potus won't let us wage a war. We're just there to take casualties while the Afghan gummint tries to persuade its own army to help run the drug trade and stop killing each other! Just turn the whole northern part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and part of India into glass and let the glow-in-the-dark tribal areas figure out what to do about THAT!
Las Vegas should open a line on how long the Afghan President will remain in power after the pull out. My bet would be on 9 months. The US is wasting its time there, it is not a country that actually wants to change it wants to go back to the way it was.
Go back to the way it was ??? >>> WHY? It NEVER changed!!! It is just the same as it has been for thousands of years. IF YOU CAN SEE where it changed, please show us where, when why & HOW it changed!