Video | Obama says US on track in 'difficult' Afghan war
US President Barack Obama has said that the US war plan in Afghanistan was "on track" but somberly warned that gains won by his surge strategy at a heavy human cost were fragile and reversible.
Unveiling a long-awaited policy assessment, Obama said progress was sufficient to permit a "responsible reduction" of US forces to begin in July, though the scope and size of the likely drawdown appear limited.
Despite warning the Afghan war remained a "very difficult endeavor," Obama said a relentless US operation had Al-Qaeda under more pressure than ever and argued that US surge troops had made "considerable gains" in Afghanistan.
He said Al-Qaeda was finding it harder to recruit and plot attacks and had seen key leaders killed, although he warned the group was "ruthless and resilient" and was still planning follow-ups to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
"In short, Al-Qaeda is hunkered down," Obama said as he unveiled an unclassified version of the review at the White House, flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
The president also said his new strategy, announced a year ago, had forged ahead with Pakistan, saying there was a new recognition in Islamabad of the threat posed by extremist networks in rugged Afghan border regions.
