Pictures

A U.S. Army soldier from 3/1 AD Task Force Bulldog uses his night vision equipment before an early morning joint patrol with Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers in a village in Kherwar district in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan, May 22, 2012. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Maxim Hot 100

The world's most beautiful women as chosen by Maxim readers.  Slideshow 

A cross is seen in Joplin, Missouri May 17, 2012. May 22 marks the one year anniversary of a deadly EF-5 tornado that ripped through the town, killing 161 people. The tornado damaged or destroyed about 7,500 homes and 500 other buildings, but the city is now well into a recovery mode that has spurred some segments of the local economy. REUTERS/Eric Thayer (UNITED STATES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT RELIGION)

Joplin, one year after

May 22 marks the one year anniversary of a deadly tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people.  Slideshow 

Petraeus: Afghan drawdown faster than recommended

Related Topics

WASHINGTON | Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:30pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said on Thursday he had recommended a slower drawdown than President Barack Obama had decided upon, but backed the decision and said no military commander in history gets "all the forces he would like to have, for all the time."

"The ultimate decision was a more aggressive formulation, if you will, in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended," Petraeus told a Senate hearing on his nomination to become CIA director.

"Again, that is understandable in the sense that there are broader considerations beyond just those of a military commander."

(Editing by Sandra Maler)
Politics
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (1)
ej.mann wrote:
Why shouldn’t Obama make the final decision? With all of his military history and experience, he obviously IS the most qualified to run the military. Those damn Generals don’t have a clue. Only Obama knows. Thank God for his leadership. Tell them when we’re leaving, remaining troop strengths and all of the intelligence we gather. The enemies couldn’t possibly think use that information to their advantage.

What a disaster. This administration needs to go in 2012!

Jun 23, 2011 4:06pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »