Exiting from Afghanistan?

The war in Afghanistan is one of the longest wars in United States history, and with the projected starting time for withdrawal in 2011, it doesn't seem like there will be an end soon. Obama plans to send in 30,000 more troops before starting the withdrawal, which doesn't help the process very much.

Setting the deadline seems more like a mistake to Republicans, who said that setting a date for withdrawal is handing the strategy to the enemy. That gives the enemy a set time limit to then strike while the Afghan forces are still recuperating. The withdrawal will transfer responsibility from the US armed forces to the Afghan armed forces. Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai has stated that he would like to work with the United States to bolster the country's military, which he believes will not have the fortitude to take responsibility from the American troops.

The withdrawal should not be based on time, but rather on internal security of Afghanistan, an idea supported by General David H. Petraeus, the commander of United States Central Command. Amidst all of this talk, questions arose about Osama bin Laden, whom the intelligence agencies in the United States could not find reliable data on. No real details were released by General James Jones, the president's national security advisor.

The shaky plan to withdraw troops in 2011 doesn't seem like it will come to the conclusion Obama plans, and perhaps American Troops will remain in Afghanistan even after the war is over. Will the Afghanistan army be ready to resume responsibility in their country, or will they continue to depend on the United States?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/world/asia/07afghan.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper