Marine Gen. John Allen, the top NATO Commander in Afghanistan, speaks during an Associated Press interview in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Allen said the international coalition has unleashed a new offensive against one of the country's most lethal militant networks. Muhammed Muheisen / AP
Nato Commander In Afghanistan Pushes For Year Pause In Troop Drawdown -- The Telegraph
The senior Nato commander in Afghanistan is pushing for a year-long pause in the drawdown of American troops from the country, risking a confrontation with the White House.
Gen John Allen is opposing Barack Obama's strategy of steadily pulling out troops over the next three years and argues a premature decline will jeopardise security gains made in the past year.
Mr Obama announced in June that United States troop levels would fall from their current 97,000 to around 68,000 by September 2012 and continue to leave Afghanistan afterwards at a "steady pace".
Gen Allen instead wants troop levels to plateau at 68,000 throughout 2013, before withdrawal resumes in 2014, sources in Kabul said.
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Update: Report: Allen backs pause in withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2013 -- Stars and Stripes
My Comment: Next year is an election year .... and with a majority of Americans now favoring a withdrawal from Afghanistan, General Allen's request will be ignored.