U.S. modifies Afghan withdrawal message

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. officials more and more say American troops will be in Afghanistan until at least the end of 2014, signaling withdrawals next summer won't be significant.

The shift in message away from President Barack Obama's July 2011 date to begin pulling troops from Afghanistan, depending on ground conditions, was the message U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen presented during a security and diplomatic conference in Australia, The New York Times reported Wednesday. All three said 2014 was the key date for turning over the security responsibility to Afghan forces.

Administration officials said Gates, Clinton and Mullen were trying to convince Afghans that the United States would not abandon them next summer and to warn Taliban leaders that aggressive military operations against them still would be conducted.

"There's not really any change, but what we're trying to do is to get past that July 2011 obsession so that people can see what the president's strategy really entails," a senior administration official told the Times Wednesday.

"The old message was, we're looking to July 2011 to begin a transition," another White House official said. "Now we're telling people what happens beyond 2011, and I don't think that represents a shift. We're bringing some clarity to the policy of our future in Afghanistan."

The 2014 date will be a discussion point during a NATO summit meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, this month that Obama plans to attend. During the meeting, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, chief commander in Afghanistan, will present a transition plan that calls for a gradual four-year shift of security responsibility to the Afghans.