The President will announce in Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address that 34,000 troops—about half the force currently serving in Afghanistan—will leave the country within a year. It is on track with President Obama’s stated goal to have all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
NBC News reported from a senior administration official:
Tonight, in his State of the Union Address, President Obama will announce that 34,000 U.S. troops will return home from Afghanistan by this time next year, decreasing by half the number of U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan. Further reductions will continue through the end of 2014 as Afghans take full responsibility for their security.
Thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, our Afghan partners and ISAF partners from 49 countries, we have struck devastating blows against al Qaeda, and Afghan forces continue to grow stronger, with 352,000 now in training or on duty. Afghan forces are leading nearly 90 percent of operations across the country, and by this spring, they’ll be assuming the lead across the entire country, with the United States and ISAF stepped back to a train, advise and assist role. In that capacity, we will no longer be leading combat operations, but will provide support to the Afghans as they lead operations through the crucial fighting seasons of 2013 and 2014. By the end of 2014, we will responsibly bring our war in Afghanistan to a close.
At the NATO Summits in Lisbon and Chicago, the United States and our partners laid out a transition plan that would lead to the Afghan Government having full responsibility for security by the end of 2014. We are implementing that plan in a way that strengthens Afghan capacity and respects Afghan sovereignty, while preserving the important gains that have been made in recent years. The President made his decision based on the recommendations of the military and his National Security team, as well as consultations with President Karzai and our international coalition partners. Before making his announcement, President Obama spoke on the phone with President Karzai, Prime Minister Cameron and Chancellor Merkel to inform them of his decision.
The President will not be making any further announcements about troop numbers tonight, nor has he made any decisions beyond the one he is announcing. The United States remains fully committed to a long-term strategic partnership with the Afghan Government and the Afghan people. We remain in negotiations on a Bilateral Security Agreement with the Afghan Government that would contemplate two narrow missions for the United States beyond 2014: targeting the remnants of al Qaeda, and training Afghan Security Forces.
Erin Delmore