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Defense Secretary Panetta, Gen. Dempsey: 'We're Not Leaving Afghanistan in 2014'
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/03-0Defense Secretary Panetta, Gen. Dempsey: 'We're Not Leaving Afghanistan in 2014'
- Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Published on Sunday, February 3, 2013 by Common Dreams
As outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey made media rounds on Sunday, they brought a joint message: the U.S. is not leaving Afghanistan in 2014.
Speaking to CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dempsey dismissed the idea of a total withdrawal, saying, "no one has suggested zero [troops] to me."
Just how many, though, he did not mention, saying "the ultimate number will be based on the mission and how deeply we want to be involved with their continued development."
On NBC's Meet the Press, Panetta also dismissed a White House option of zero troops past 2014, saying he felt the President would remain committed to agreements made in Chicago, referring to the summit that outlined plans for a "NATO-Afghanistan partnership" that would continue past 2014 and provide "an enduring presence" there.
