“The new year will open with as many as 10,800 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan, 1,000 more than President Barack Obama pledged, with transition plans running several months behind, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.
Obama “has provided U.S. military commanders the flexibility to manage any temporary force shortfall that we might experience for a few months,” the departing defense secretary told reporters in Kabul today, after arriving for what amounts to a farewell tour to review the status of the war and pay tribute to the 800,000 U.S. troops who have served there since 2001.
While Hagel said Obama’s plan to withdraw all but 9,800 troops will be breached only for the first few months of 2015, the decision underscores continuing tensions between military commanders concerned that Afghan forces aren’t ready to stave off the Taliban and a president determined to keep his promise to end America’s longest war.”* The Young Turks Cenk Uygur breaks it down.
*Read more here:
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-06/hagel-visits-afghanistan-as-us-combat-mission-nears-end
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