Obama to Military: Get Ready to Leave Afghanistan

President Barack Obama has ordered the Pentagon to get ready for an "orderly withdrawal" of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, as the chances the countries will reach a security agreement appear to grow slimmer. Obama spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai — who has appeared unwilling to sign the bilateral security deal — by phone Tuesday morning, and afterward, the White House signaled that Karzai was no nearer to signing the deal. That deal, if signed, would give the U.S. a legal basis for keeping troops in Afghanistan beyond this year, although fewer than the more than 33,000 still in the country. Karzai's presidency is nearing its end, meaning a decision on the deal would be left to whoever succeeds him after April's elections. U.S. leaders have criticized Karzai already for failing to sign the deal, and military officials have warned that winding down their operations after more than a decade of occupation requires plenty of strategic planning.

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