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Obama warns against rush for exits in Afghanistan
President Barack Obama on Monday warned against "a rush for the exits" in Afghanistan, as questions mount about US war strategy after a US soldier killed 16 civilians in a shooting rampage."It's important for us to make sure that we get out in responsible way, so that we don't end up having to go back in," Obama said in an interview with Pittsburgh CBS station KDKA. "But what we don't want to do, is to do it in a way that is just a rush for the exits." Obama said the shooting rampage, which mostly targeted women and children, was "absolutely heartbreaking and tragic," but stressed that a withdrawal from Afghanistan involving tens of thousands of troops had to be done responsibly. "We have got hundreds of advisers in civilian areas as well, we have got huge amounts of equipment that have to be moved out. We have got to make sure that the Afghans can protect their borders to prevent Al-Qaeda coming back." In a separate interview with Denver CBS affiliate KCNC Obama added that it was "important for us just to make sure that we are not ... in Afghanistan longer than we need to be." The White House had earlier insisted that its Afghan strategy would not be impacted by the "awful" rampage. "Our strategic objectives have not changed and they will not change," said White House spokesman Jay Carney, adding the US goal remained defeating Al-Qaeda and empowering Afghans to ensure their own security. Obama is committed to gradually withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan under an agreement with NATO partners which foresees a full drawdown by the end of 2014. Posted by: tipper 2012-03-12 |
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