US to support a unified, sovereign Afghanistan: Obama

Washington (PAN.

Sending his annual budget to the Congress, in which he proposes $3.4 billion for Afghanistan for the next financial year beginning on October 2013, he said:

“We have brought home more than 30,000 of our brave servicemembers from Afghanistan. Our remaining forces are moving into a support role, with Afghan security forces taking the lead. Over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home.”

In his speech he said, the drawdown would continue and, by the end of next year, their war in Afghanistan will be over. Beyond 2014, the Budget supports the US continued commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan.

The State Department has proposes $3.1 billion for the fiscal post 2014—the budgetary proposals sustains and builds upon hard-fought security, economic, social and political gains of the last decade, it said.

Beyond that, it also supports economic growth, agriculture, which keeps the United States on track to fulfill the Tokyo commitments.  Also it supports the continued security transition with reduced operating costs from Fiscal year 2013. 

Looking forward to the responsible end of the war in Afghanistan, Obama said, the US forces would gradually draw down and complete the transition to full Afghan responsibility for their country’s security by the end of December 2014.

The Pentagon in its budget proposals said as the US forces draw down in Afghanistan, its global counter terrorism efforts will become more widely distributed and will be characterised by a mix of direct action and security force assistance.

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