Obama to announce return of 30,000 troops from Afghanistan by end of next year

President Barack Obama

/ AP Photo

President Obama's "surge" of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan announced in late 2009 was meant to be temporary, and Wednesday night the president is expected to announce that they will return home by around the time voters head to the polls to determine whether he gets another term.

In prime-time speech to the nation, Obama is expected to say about 5,000 troops will begin coming home this summer with an additional 5,000 troops by the end of this year, sources told CBS News. And about 20,000 more troops are expected to return to the United States by the end of 2012, the sources said. That would still leave about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan -- about twice as many troops as when Obama took office in January 2009.

That timetable is more aggressive than some military advisers had urged. Obama made the final decision Tuesday after weighing options presented to him by General David Petraeus, his top commander in Afghanistan.

Some military advisers feared a rapid withdrawal could put at risk some of the gains made against the Taliban.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), on the other hand, echoed a sentiment of many on Capitol Hill when he told reporters Tuesday that "the notable improvement in the security situation" in Afghanistan allows "for a reduction of at least 15,000 U.S. troops by the end of this year."

Vice President Joe Biden has also reportedly urged for a faster troop withdrawal and said last December that the drawdown would start "in July 2011 and we are going to be totally out of there, come hell or high water, by 2014."

A recent CBS News poll showed that 64 percent of Americans now want the number of troops in Afghanistan decreased. The United States has spent $120 billion on the war this year alone.

[rf35]

Heck, I wouldn't mind one more deployment before I retire. There's not much worth doing in-garrison these days and I can always use the little bit extra we get paid over there.

[meboard]

Mr. President,
Please give Afghanistan and Pakistan back to India. And North Dakota to the Palestinians as a homeland.

Thank you. P.S., you're doing an OUTSTANDING job Sir!!!!!!

[cbsnacilbuper]

How cool is it that Obama can just give Afganistan and Pakistan back to india, and ND to the palestinians. You must think he is god.

[meboard]

cbsnacilbuper ... So the US is no longer a Super Power????

[Birdman04]

In a nut shell. That really sucks!

[credibility2]

He'll need to divert many of them to the streets of Chicago next spring for his announced plans on having the NATO Summit there. The troops will be needed to fight off the protestors, anarchists and activists.

[kantsleep]

I guess all of these politicians think we are a bunch of "dumb *****" that they pull this garbage just at election time.My vote will go to the candidite who has balls to bring all of our troops home.(Be they black,white, female or male)The people in Afghanistan,Irag,Pakistan and the rest don't want us in their countries,all the want is the billions in aid we give them. Wake up all you American Voters.We don't need oil,they're are plenty of alternatives to run our cars and electricity for our homes that exist now.The power to be just don't want you to know about them.

[cbsnacilbuper]

See BS, are you not tired of trying to make this guy look good. Really, you are doing some major damage to your credit by spinning this.

[cbsnacilbuper]

Can you imagine the outrage by the left and the MSM if this were Bush doing this. What a bunch of hypocrites.

[rf35]

They would be outraged about drawing down our numbers in Afghanistan?

[sjc_1]

Bush let 70,000 troops sit there getting shot at for 6 years. It was Dances with Wolves, the last lonely thankless outpost while he obsessed and lied about Iraq.

[cbsnacilbuper]

That would still leave about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan -- about twice as many troops as when Obama took office in January 2009.

So the anti-war candidate has now turned into a President that has doubled the troops and started a third war.

I hope you Obama supporters are happy.

What was that The Who said.... We won't get fooled again, no no.

[Molly-Pchr]

Do you think McCain would have less troops there? I don't condone Obama's troop increases, but McCain would not be much of a difference, I don't care what he says after the fact.

[gthog]

You mean that surge in Afghanistan that obama did that was just like the surge in Iraq that he said would never work back when Bush did it?

[rf35]

Maybe he learned something from that. There's hope for you, too.

[WillMunny1]

It appears he took Gates and Gen. Petreus advice not to pull them out until December so we can have a successful victory in Afghanistan and hand over military actions to the newly trained Afghan army and police.
Works for me and all our troops efforts and sacrifices and money spent there will not have been in vain.