Afghanistan Drawdown To Include Combat Troops
For U.S. troops in Afghanistan looking to return home, a little reason for optimism. On Wednesday, the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, spoke before Congress about drawdowns. He said some combat forces could return as part of the initial withdrawal this July.
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LINDA WERTHEIMER, host:
There are about 100,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but that number could start coming down this summer. The top American commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, spoke before Congress yesterday about troop drawdowns. He said some combat forces could return as part of the initial withdrawals this July. But most of the withdrawals will be engineers and support troops.
The Pentagon says it needs combat troops because heavy fighting is expected in the spring and summer, and it wants to make sure no territory is lost.
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