“I believe we’ll need to provide assistance to Afghanistan for a long time to come,” Obama said at a news conference following the conclusion of the G-20 summit. “We do not expect because of our involvement in Afghanistan that the country is going to completely transform itself in a year or two years or five years.”
Obama chastised what he dubbed a current “obsession” over a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. “My focus right now is how do we make sure what we’re doing there is successful,” he said. “By next year we will begin a transition.”…
“We intend to be a partner with Afghanistan over the long term, but that is different than us having troops on the ground,” Obama said. “I think it is worth the extraordinary sacrifice that we are making – and when I say we not just the United States but all coalition members – to try to see a positive outcome in Afghanistan as well.”
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