It was mainly concerned with accelerated troop withdrawal and "how the war with Iraq will end".
Neither did the decision to accelerate troop levels in Afghanistan and, at the same time, schedule a withdrawal.
Mr. Gates cautioned that it was still early and that an accelerated troop drawdown "may or may not" occur.
The president announced an accelerated troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, with half the current force to return home within one year.
Photograph: POOL/REUTERS 2.58am GMT The president announces, as previewed, an accelerated troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead.
Those conclusions are not shared by the senior American commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, and his recommendation for an accelerated troop withdrawal is at odds with the timetable approved by President Obama.
Together with a rash of attacks by Afghan security forces against NATO troops — including two over the weekend that left at least six coalition service members dead — the Taliban have put new pressure on the American withdrawal plan, which calls for accelerated troop pullouts through 2014 while training Afghan forces to take over.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Afghanistan on Monday for discussions on the progress of the war, including an intensified wave of insider attacks by Afghan forces on NATO service members, even as New Zealand became the latest coalition partner to announce an accelerated troop withdrawal.
BERLIN — The revelations contained in newly released U.S. military documents on the war in Afghanistan have led to parliamentary demands in Berlin and London for expanded inquiries into the war that some analysts say could increase pressure in Europe for accelerated troop withdrawals.
It was Keane who protected Petraeus's interests in ensuring the maximum number of troops in Iraq against the efforts by other military leaders to accelerate troop withdrawal in 2007 and 2008.
