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White House considers pulling all troops from Afghanistan?

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    Molly Henneberg reports from Washington, D.C.

  • Duration 2:43
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-- the meantime we're learning some new details about possible White House plans.

For troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

Ahead of next year's -- down there's a new report out that has an administration official.

Floating the idea of pulling out all of the troops the so called zero.

Option.

-- hammered -- now Washington said -- how likely is this zero troops in Afghanistan scenario.

I'm Martha I'll be Obama administration will say is that it's an option possibilities something they're looking -- But clearly they're signaling to Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the days of tens of thousands of US troops in Afghanistan.

We have 66000.

There now.

Are coming to an end.

US did not have again an inherent objective of X number of troops in Afghanistan.

We have an objective of making sure there's -- safe haven -- Qaeda in Afghanistan and making sure that the Afghan government had a security force it is sufficient.

Again you're assured disability.

The Afghan government and the denial of that -- them.

Sources tell fox that the White House is looking at troop levels below 101000 by the end of 2014.

Just a year ago there was talk that it would be more in the 101000 to 30000 troop range but that apparently is changed significantly.

Presidents Obama and Karzai will meet on Friday to discuss this and other issues.

Including the thorny issue of legal immunity for any US troops that do remain behind Karzai is resisting that idea President Obama is pushing for.

Martha it raises so many questions -- about the treasure that has already been lost.

In Afghanistan what -- have been mean there.

And how strong al-Qaeda is -- all of these right at some of the risks of what would happen perhaps if we had no US troops on the ground -- Certainly there's always the risk that al-Qaeda -- -- move back in there with impunity.

One former commander of US troops in Afghanistan retired lieutenant general David -- -- wrote on foreign policy dot com quote.

President Barack Obama will have to -- the substantial risks inherent in a zero option for Afghanistan.

Absent the stabilizing influence of some numbers of US troops.

Afghanistan could slip back into chaos.

Experiencing a new version of the devastating civil war that grants the country.

In the 1990s.

General garner says -- zero -- option may not be the quote best choice for America's long term strategic interests in the region.

But he says it remains on the table with the Obama administration -- -- -- a lot of attention our panel coming up on this in a little while Molly thank you very much.

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