US pullback tied to fighting season
2013-02-12 22:25
Washington - US commanders will keep as many US troops as
possible in Afghanistan until after the fighting season despite a decision to
pull out 34 000 in the next year, a senior US defence official said on Tuesday.
"The commanders will have discretion on pace and
focus will be [on] keeping as many forces in play until after the fighting
season," the official told AFP.
President Barack Obama is to announce the troop pullback on
Tuesday evening in his annual State of the Union address to Congress, a source
familiar with his speech said.
The withdrawal this year would roughly halve the size of
the 66 000-strong US force in Afghanistan. Most of the foreign combat forces in
the country are due to be out by the end of 2014.
Outgoing US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta "supports
the plan to continue drawing down our forces over the coming year in
Afghanistan," the official said.
"The approach you'll hear from the president tonight
reflects the best military advice from commanders in the Pentagon and in the
field."
