Obama: U.S. on track in Afghanistan

By David Jackson and Jim Michaels, USA TODAYWASHINGTON — President Obama said Thursday his Afghanistan strategy is on track and U.S. forces can begin a scheduled drawdown in July, though the gains are "fragile and still reversible."The remarks came as the White House released its first major review of the strategy launched last December when the president ordered an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan.

"With those additional forces in Afghanistan, we are making considerable gains toward our military objectives," Obama said. "Our review confirms, however, that for these security gains to be sustained over time, there's an urgent need for political and economic progress in Afghanistan."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the assessment highlights progress toward the goal of handing over control to the Afghan government by the end of 2014, but also formidable challenges ahead.

Gates said the pace of the withdrawal depends on conditions on the ground, and that those are unknowable now.

"We all understand the stresses that this war causes," Clinton said. "This is critical to our national security."

Clinton rejected the notion that the administration is "sugar coating" problems in Afghanistan, saying that progress is being made but problems remain and need to be addressed.

"I think we're very cleared eyed and realistic," Clinton said. "This has been a very, very hard-nosed review."

The review concludes that the 30,000 U.S. reinforcements have achieved battlefield successes, but Obama said the gains remain "fragile and reversible."

Locking in the success will require progress in helping to build an effective Afghan government and getting Pakistan to close the insurgent sanctuaries inside its borders.

The assessment concludes that the United States has made progress in battering al-Qaeda leadership holed up in remote parts of Pakistan. The United States has used drone strikes to target al-Qaeda leaders there.

"It will take time to ultimately defeat al-Qaeda and it remains a ruthless and resilient enemy bent on attacking our country," Obama said. "But make no mistake. We are going to remain relentless in disrupting and dismantling that terrorist organization."

The goal is to block terrorists from using Afghanistan as a base of operations, as they did prior to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States, the report said.

"This continues to be a very difficult endeavor," Obama said. "But I can report that thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians on the ground, we are on track to achieve our goals."

There are currently about 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in addition to about 40,000 troops from NATO and other allies.

The U.S. and its coalition partners went to war in Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11, seeking to overturn the Taliban militants who had given haven to al-Qaeda, the network that orchestrated the terrorist attacks.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was heartened by the tactical success but troubled by "unanswered" questions.

"There must be reform to Afghan governance to lessen corruption and stop driving Afghan citizens into the arms of the Taliban," Skelton said in a statement. "We must continue to work with the Pakistani government to convince them to eliminate Taliban safe havens in their country."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., said in a statement that the U.S. needs to be realistic in measuring progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Our strategy and resources must match our objectives and our core mission, which is not building a perfect state, but defeating al-Qaeda and denying it and its partners a secure base from which to launch attacks on the United States and its allies," Kerry said.

He said the committee is planning its next major series of oversight hearings when the new Congress convenes next year.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the review showed that the strategy was sound and that the allies had the necessary resources to carry it out.

"Now we have to consolidate those gains and make them irreversible. This is a challenging task, but we are determined to see it through," he said.

At least 480 American troops have been killed in the war this year. More than 2,100 have died since the conflict began.

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