Obama Tells VOA US Will Not Abandon Afghanistan Despite Troop Cuts

Thursday, 23 June 2011
André de Nesnera, VOA |The White House 

Photo: Courtesy of White House President Barack Obama during an interview with Voice of America in the Map Room of the White House June 22, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama has discussed the current situation in Afghanistan in an interview with the Voice of America.

The president says his decision to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan does not mean the U.S. is abandoning that country.

“Keep in mind that we’re talking about 10,000 troops by the end of this year, an additional 23,000 by the end of next summer – and we’ll still have 68,000 troops there, in addition to the coalition partner troops,” President Obama said. “So there is still going to be a substantial presence.  But what it does signal is that Afghans are slowly taking more and more responsibility.”

Phased transition

The president says his decision is consistent with what he called a phased transition process.

“Already there are Afghans out there every day who are fighting the fight, Afghans who are dying on behalf of their country, and their freedom, and their dignity,” he noted.  “And what we want to make sure of is that we continue to be a good partner with that process, but also want to send a signal to the Afghan people: this is your country ultimately and you are going to have responsibilities.”