2011 July News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Physically. i couldn't believe it. so i was stunned. martha: coming up, we're going to discuss the new controversy that is bubbling up, where exactly the u.s. plans are to start pulling out of afghanistan and if the president's 2011 july deadline will be pushed back >> when the boys built that base, with taliban forces in the valley, they were completely in shock. it was like a middle finger sticking out. and they realized once they could not knock off schrepo, we had the upper hand. they started becoming afraid. you hear a lot about the politics surrounding the longers war in u.s. history but...

Which is the kandahar offensive. what does this mean, general? >> well, i think the key point here is that the strategy that has been given to mcchrystal has a timeline on it of 2011. i went through the same thing in bosnia when they passed that decision they said you have one year and then you have to pull the troops out. what actually happened is we drew up a plan to do that and six months before that i went into the president and the secretary-general of nato and i said, we can do that. we can pull the plug. here are the risks in doing that. mcchrystal has to be mature enough to say, mr. pr...

Over the last several months in order to break the momentum of the taliban, that beginning in 2011 july we will start bringing those troops down and turning over more and more responsibility to afghan security forces that we are building up. but we are not suddenly as of july 2011 finished with afghanistan. in fact, to the contrary. part of what i've tried to emphasize to president karzai and the afghan people but also the american people is this is a long-term partnership, that is not simply defined by our military presence. i am confident that we're going to be able to reduce our troop stren...

Can make sure in the and then get a security force that can truly provide security. martha: so much has been said about this 2011 july deadline. does that seem -- obviously, that was the mission given to you by your commander in chief -- but looking at the job that you have been given personally, how do you feel about it, in terms of achievement levels? >> i do not get much news out here, so i do not know all the details. i know there was a rumored that line, but it would not change what we do. what we are here to do is provide security under which the afghan security forces can come in to ret...