US ready for the long haul in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

US ready for the long haul in Afghanistan
Cameron Stewart, Paul Kelly
From: The Australian
November 09, 2010 12:00AM

Mr Gates said the US would exert an influence on the country long after the combat troops had left.

His comments came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that next year there would be parts of the war-ravaged country that would once again be under the control of the Afghan government and its own troops rather than US forces.

The extent of this transition of power would depend on conditions on the ground and would not be based on a specific timetable.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he wants Afghan security forces to take responsibility for security in the country by 2014.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne following the Ausmin security talks between the US and Australia, Mrs Clinton said: "The strategies that we are implementing together (with Australia) in Afghanistan is the right strategy and we are committed to pursuing that strategy and being very conscious of the challenges that it poses to us.

[4dsc]

1. Less than 200 Al Qaeda fighters left

so I guess we have to finish them off before we can go home.