Troops out but military remains

Obama's withdrawal plan a political maneuver to win votes as US' strategy is not to exit Afghanistan completely

Last month, US President Barack Obama announced a plan to withdraw some 10,000 US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011 and another 23,000 by next summer with the aim of giving Afghans control of their own security by 2014. The plan is widely considered to be an indication that the United States is beginning an "exit strategy" in Afghanistan.

In fact, there are disagreements between the White House and the Pentagon over withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The former is paying more attention to domestic politics, while the latter hopes to slow or delay the troop withdrawal so as to further stabilize the Afghan situation. But Obama's decision shows that domestic politics have finally prevailed over military needs.