US
        

Diplomatic and Military Affairs

US House rejects speedy Afghan pullout

Updated: 2011-05-27 10:01

(Xinhua)

Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an amendment which calls for accelerated withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Related readings:
US House rejects speedy Afghan pullout Roadside bomb kills 8 US troops in Afghanistan
US House rejects speedy Afghan pullout US lawmakers push to get US out of Afghanistan
US House rejects speedy Afghan pullout Taliban leader Omar disappeared: Afghan spy agency
US House rejects speedy Afghan pullout NATO, Afghan forces brace for 'fighting season'

In a close 204-215 vote, the House rejected the amendment that would have required the Pentagon to develop a plan for an "accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities."

The measure was an amendment to the 690-billion-dollar National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and was sponsored by a group of bipartisan lawmakers.

The Obama administration planned to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July, with the goal of handing lead security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

The administration said earlier this year that it plans to start withdrawing only 5,000 of the 100,000 troops in Afghanistan by this summer, far less than many had hoped.

Specials

Room at the inn

The Chinese hotel industry experiences a building boom, prompting fears of oversupply.

Pearls of wisdom

Chinese pearl farmers dominate the world market but now want to work smarter, not harder

Truly a super woman

Li Yuchun first came to prominence in 2005 as the Super Girl winner, and since then has become an international star.

Suzhou: Heaven on Earth
The sky's the limit
Diving into history