tsai3904
09-03-2012, 01:19 AM
President Obama did not rule out a future U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan when he told a campaign rally in Colorado Sunday that all U.S. forces would be out by the end of 2014, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
"We are bringing our troops home from Afghanistan. And I've set a timetable. We will have them all out of there by 2014," Obama told a crowd in Boulder Sunday afternoon as he slammed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for dodging the issue during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
However, about two hours after Obama spoke, Carney said in a press briefing aboard Air Force One that the president had not pledged a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"He never said that all the troops would be out," the press secretary declared. "What we’ve said, as we did in Iraq -- and I think this is a good way to look at it —is in Iraq, there were steps of—sort of milestones where troops began to come home, more and more authorities transferred over to Iraqi security forces. The U.S. forces that remained as that process took place moved out of the cities and on to bases. And then the full transfer took place and combat mission ended, after which remaining U.S. forces eventually came home and the last U.S. soldier left, with the exception obviously of those who are at the embassy."
More at link:
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/09/carney-clarifies-afghanistan-drawdown-timetable-134156.html
"We are bringing our troops home from Afghanistan. And I've set a timetable. We will have them all out of there by 2014," Obama told a crowd in Boulder Sunday afternoon as he slammed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for dodging the issue during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
However, about two hours after Obama spoke, Carney said in a press briefing aboard Air Force One that the president had not pledged a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"He never said that all the troops would be out," the press secretary declared. "What we’ve said, as we did in Iraq -- and I think this is a good way to look at it —is in Iraq, there were steps of—sort of milestones where troops began to come home, more and more authorities transferred over to Iraqi security forces. The U.S. forces that remained as that process took place moved out of the cities and on to bases. And then the full transfer took place and combat mission ended, after which remaining U.S. forces eventually came home and the last U.S. soldier left, with the exception obviously of those who are at the embassy."
More at link:
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/09/carney-clarifies-afghanistan-drawdown-timetable-134156.html