White House Scrambles To Ease Fallout From Panetta's Afghanistan Comments -- McClatchy News
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration scrambled Thursday to tamp down the fallout out from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's surprise announcement that the United States would end its combat role in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected — a revelation that heightened confusion over U.S. strategy and stoked Afghan distrust of American intentions.
The U.S. decision also could weaken the administration's hand as it tries to pressure the Taliban into peace talks by confirming to insurgent leaders that they can hold out until the U.S. combat mission draws to a close in December 2014, several current and former U.S. and Afghan officials warned.
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More News On Afghanistan
Panetta: NATO Ministers Agree Afghan Transition on Track -- US Department of Defense
NATO Ministers Review US, French Plans to End Afghanistan Combat Role -- Voice of America
NATO wrestles with withdrawal from Afghanistan -- Deutsche Welle
NATO ministers to consider accelerated withdrawal from combat role in Afghanistan -- Washington Post/AP
NATO Chief: Coalition Troops Will be “Combat-Ready” During Afghan Transition -- Voice of America
NATO mulls paying bulk of Afghan security costs -- CBS/AP
Panetta: NATO Ministers Agree Afghan Transition on Track -- Defpro
NATO members rattled by U.S. combat plan on Afghanistan -- L.A. Times
Panetta comment prompts questions, concerns in Afghanistan -- Washington Post/AP
Afghanistan fears early US pull-out -- Financial Times
DOD: No policy changes, despite Panetta statement about Afghan transition -- Stars and Stripes
Obama Adminstration Downplays Leon Panetta’s Afghanistan Comments -- ABC News/AP
Panetta Draws Fire Over Afghan Shift -- Wall Street Journal
Obama administration downplays Panetta’s Afghanistan comments -- The Hill
U.S. Seeks to Play Down Panetta's Afghan Comments -- New York Times/Reuters
Britain to pull out troops from Afghanistan frontline role by the end of next year after surprise U.S. announcement on early war exit -- Daily Mail
UK lead combat role in Afghanistan will end before 2014, says Downing Street -- The Guardian
'Substantial’ troop pull-out from Afghanistan planned for early 2013 -- The Telegraph
Thousands of British troops could come home from Afghanistan next year as international forces take a back seat in the war against the Taliban -- Mirror
Combined Force Captures Taliban Commander -- US Department of Defense
War in Afghanistan 03 February, 2012 -- War On Terror News
Coalition forces in Afghanistan (Graph) -- Washington Post
U.S. Will Keep Fighting as Afghans Take the Lead, Panetta Says -- New York Times
Taliban modernizing, says former anti-vice enforcer -- Yahoo News/AFP
US shifts strategy on Taliban -- Al Jazeera
Pak safe havens causing problems in Afghanistan -- Hindustan Times/Press Trust Of India
Divisions within Taliban make peace elusive -- CBS/AP
A NATO Transit Hub May Be Established in Central Russia -- RIA Novosti
Reality behind the changing Afghan mission -- Nic Robertson, CNN
Panetta adds a few details about U.S. step back from Afghanistan -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Reduced U.S. Role in Afghanistan: Politics, By Other Means -- Mark Thompson, Time
To the Afghan Exits. Panetta makes the mistake of telling the truth. -- Wall Street Journal
Why Obama Is Right to Withdraw From Afghanistan Early -- James Joyner, The Atlantic
Why Taliban are so strong in Afghanistan -- Bilal Sarwary, BBC
No winners in Afghanistan’s war -- Financial Times editorial
The administration’s muddled message on Afghanistan -- Washington Post editorial
Taliban eat into Afghanistan's core -- Hamza Ameer and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, Asia Times
Our noble Afghan failure -- Jonathan Kay, National Post
Afghanistan: 'This terrible war could have ended in a month’ -- Neil Tweedie, The Telegraph