Afghan exit: Obama declares success against al-Qaeda, Taliban

U.S. President Barack Obama has begun the long retreat from Afghanistan in a televised statement to the U.S., declaring success against al-Qaeda and the Taliban and the withdrawal of about a third of US forces next year.

In his speech, Obama lowered the goals for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and invited the Afghan government to negotiate a deal with the Taliban, the ultra-orthodox Islamic group that hosted al Qaeda organizers of the 9/11 mass-murder.

“Our position on these talks is clear: they must be led by the Afghan government, and those who want to be a part of a peaceful Afghanistan must break from al Qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the Afghan Constitution,” he said.

Obama said 33,000 US troops would be withdrawn by the summer of 2012 or by September at the latest. The first 5,000 would return next month and another 5,000 by the end of the year, the Guardian reported.