Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Obama: Troop Withdrawal Will Not Be Done 'Precipitously'

Details

  • Description

    President's words to Army soldiers about Afghanistan

  • Duration 2:43
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

President Obama's plan to get 33000.

US troops out of Afghanistan in the next fifteen months.

Is taking fire from both the right and the last.

It is also the clauses some apprehension for -- top military commanders and a lot of people in Afghanistan.

We have two reports first correspondent Molly Henneberg on what the president had to say about as planned this afternoon.

At Fort Drum President Obama told army soldiers many of whom have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

That his plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan will not be done quote precipitously.

We're gonna do it in -- In a steady way to make sure that the games that all of you helped to bring about.

Are going to be suspect.

The president wants to draw down 101000 troops by the end of this year and another 23000 troops by the end of next summer.

Today his top military advisor and the outgoing top commander in Afghanistan said they had some concerns about that timetable.

I do not intend to discuss the specifics.

Of the private advice I rendered with respect to these decisions.

As I said I support them.

What I can tell you is the presidents' decisions are more aggressive and and incur more risk and I was originally prepared to accept the.

Ultimate decision.

Was eight.

More aggressive.

Formulation if you will in terms of the timeline.

-- then.

What we had recommended.

Still now that the decision has been made General Petraeus says it's the responsibility of the military to quote -- salutes smartly also today secretary of state Hillary Clinton echoed the president's argument that now is the right time to start troop withdrawals we have broken the Taliban's momentum.

So we do begin -- down from a position of strength.

But some lawmakers aren't so sure the president has gotten it right those on the left want him to bring -- the remaining troops faster.

One of those 70000 troops gonna do I thought.

Since we have trained on these Afghans we turn it over to them I'm profoundly disappointed.

The president.

And his top military advisors.

Have decided to stay the course.

And from the right GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney called the president's plan a quote.

Arbitrary timetable and fellow GOP contender Herman Cain said it could -- potentially compromise the legitimate gains we have made in Afghanistan.

President Obama wants all combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Pentagon officials say the number of support troops left behind will depend on quote the state of the Taliban and the Afghan security.

Load More