Last U.S. ‘Surge’ Combat Troops Pull Out of Afghanistan

Obama meets September withdrawal goal during time of high tensions in Middle East

The last of the 33,000 surge troops deployed to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama in 2009 have been withdrawn from the country, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday. The surge was designed to defeat a stubborn Taliban presence and create opportunities for the Afghan army to build up reliable forces to take over the country’s security. Now just 66,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, the level maintained before the surge. NATO forces, a coalition of military units from ally countries, announced this week that it was scaling back some joint operations with Afghan troops, as recent “insider attacks” indicate a breakdown in relations between Western and Afghan troops President Obama meets his goal and campaign promised of draw down at a time when anti-Western sentiments are high across the Middle East. (Reuters)

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