US military say Afghan drawdown faster than recommended.

NEW YORK, June 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Top US military said President Barack
Obama had chosen a faster pace of Afghan drawdown than they recommended,
however the risks were manageable.
General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a
Senate hearing on Thursday he had recommended a slower drawdown than Obama
had decided upon.
"The ultimate decision was a more aggressive formulation, if you will,
in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended," Petraeus said.
"Again, that is understandable in the sense that there are broader
considerations beyond just those of a military commander," he added.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of
Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee the risks created by
Obama's faster-than-expected drawdown in Afghanistan are manageable and
don't jeopardize the overall military mission.
"The president's decisions are more aggressive and incur more risk
than I was originally prepared to accept," Mullen said.
"While there's more risk, I don't consider it significant and I don't
consider it in any way, shape or form putting the military in a position
where it can't achieve its objectives," he added.
On Wednesday, Obama unveiled a plan to start bringing U.S. troops home
at a faster pace than proposed by the Pentagon. Obama said he would pull
out a third of the 100,000 troops now in Afghanistan by the end of next
summer. The remainder will come home at a steady pace.
The president, visiting troops of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort
Drum, N.Y., said: "We have turned a corner where we can begin to bring
back some of our troops."
Obama's plan will withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of this year, to
be followed by as many as 23,000 by the end of next summer. That will
leave about 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.