Mullen: Troop reduction in Afghanistan will be slow process

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Mullen: Troop reduction in Afghanistan will be slow process

While there will be a drawdown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says there will not be a complete withdrawal in July

Federal News Network Staff

November 29, 2010 9:40 am

< a min read

The United States is “very committed” to begin drawing down its forces in Afghanistan in July. But Navy Admiral Mike Mullen tells CNN that large numbers of troops will remain. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says that any drawdown will be based on conditions on the ground, and that it is too soon to know the numbers of troops and locations the drawdown will affect first. Mullen also says reconciliation talks with the Taliban must be done from a position of strength, and that any talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government right now are just talks about talks. Still, he says reconciliation is a very important process for Afghanistan, and when that can happen, political progress will follow.

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