President Obama has communicated to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he plans to stick with the current timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan — this despite the fact that Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan, and that Afghan leaders view this as proof that allied actions in their country are misguided.
“The President has a timetable to begin withdrawal of Afghanistan,” Reid told reporters in a Capitol briefing Monday morning. “He’s indicated he’s going to stick with that. I think that’s appropriate.”
Though lawmakers and administration officials have consistently said that bin Laden’s death doesn’t indicate an end to hostilities in the Global War on Terror, some experts and advocates have argued that the Obama administration should use Sunday night’s development to pivot toward a hastier resolution of hostilities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Doesn’t look like that’s in the works, though.
