‘US withdrawal from Afghanistan depends on situation on ground’
By IANSFriday, August 13, 2010
WASHINGTON - The timetable of American troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan will be driven by situation on the ground, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan said.
David Petraeus, the four-star general recently installed to take over the Afghanistan war, told NBC that President Barack Obama has made clear he wants the best military advice possible concerning the drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.
“Certainly, I am aware of the context within which I offer that advice,” Petraeus said. “But that just informs the advice; it doesn’t drive it. The situation on the ground drives it.”
Obama has set July 2011 as a deadline to begin withdrawing troops.
Petraeus said the challenge now is to demonstrate signs of progress, according to excerpts of the interview released by NBC Friday.
