U.S. to Reduce Troops in Afghanistan, Take Advisory Role

President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met on the departure of U.S. troops by 2014.

President Obama says the U.S. will drawdown troop presence in Afghanistan sooner than expected. In a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, President Obama said that the U.S. role will shift to a support role later this spring and is moving towards a “responsible end” in 2014.

The two leaders met at the White House to discuss the 66,000 American troops currently serving in Afghanistan. During the news conference, the president affirmed that any agreement on troop drawdowns must include an immunity agreement in which US troops are not subject to Afghan law. Last year, President Karzai demanded a faster transition in the U.S. military's mission and for troops to remain confined to their military bases by 2013. (Huffington Post)

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