Page 35 - Combat Role News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Timeline for our withdrawal down to an embassy centered presence a normalization of our presence in afghanistan remains the end of 2016. so that hasn't changed. our transition out of a combat role has not changed. now, i am the first to say that as long as our men and women in uniform are serving in afghanistan, there are risks involved. it's a dangerous place. you know casualties have come down precipitously as we've engaged in the drawdown. it's been over 90 days since two americans were killed in afghanistan. that has occurred precisely because we're not in a combat

The past 100 days because the combat role has ended, the exposure and the number of casualties is really done. there isn't -- my most horrible reading of the day is my first and middle of the day and end of the day security reports where i see the casualties of the afghan figures. but thank god they are no longer american or european casualties. john campbell is making sure that they remain in support role. they are training and advised assistance role has risks, but they are nowhere compared to combat role. and the end of that combat role is very significant to this. and again, the institutio...

Came into office we put additional u.s. troops coalition troops and resources into afghanistan to shift momentum at a time when the taliban and the enemies of peace and stability inside of afghanistan, i think, were moving and had momentum. we broke that momentum. elections took place. and the afghan national security forces began to build up and get trained and become more and more effective. and because of a successful election and a national unity government and the leadership of president ghani and dr. abdullah we are now in a position where the afghan security forces are not only more eff...

So the bottom line is our men and women in uniform make enormous sacrifices. their families do too. they serve alongside them. this will mean that there are going to be some of our folks who are in afghanistan under the new schedule who would have been home. but it is important to keep in perspective first of all that we've gone down from 100,000 to under 10,000. that they're not on the front lines because they're not in a combat role. we are doing all that we can do to make sure that force protection is a priority for those who are in afghanistan. and the date for us to have completed our dra...

Role has not changed. now, i am the first to say that as long as our men and women in uniform are serving in afghanistan, there are risks involved. it is a dangerous place. you know casualties have come down precipitously as we've engaged in the draw-down. it has been over 90 days since two americans were killed in afghanistan. that has occurred precisely because we're not in a combat role and i think it is worth noting the significant casualties that the afghan security services have incurred as we've drawn down they've stood up and they are fighting. and they are fighting with courage and te...