Washington - President Barack Obama on Monday warned against “a rush for the exits” in Afghanistan, as questions mount about United States war strategy after an American soldier's shooting rampage killed 16 civilians.
“It's important for us to make sure that we get out in responsible way, so that we don't end up having to go back in,” Obama said in an interview with Pittsburgh CBS station KDKA.
“But what we don't want to do, is to do it in a way that is just a rush for the exits.”
Obama said the shooting rampage, which mostly targeted women and children, was “absolutely heartbreaking and tragic”, but stressed that a withdrawal from Afghanistan involving tens of thousands of troops had to be done responsibly.
“We have got hundreds of advisers in civilian areas as well, we have got huge amounts of equipment that have to be moved out. We have got to make sure that the Afghans can protect their borders to prevent al-Qaeda coming back.”
In a separate interview with Denver CBS affiliate KCNC, Obama said that it was “important for us just to make sure that we are not... in Afghanistan longer than we need to be”.
The US soldier walked off his base in southern Kandahar and broke into three village homes before dawn on Sunday, killing 16 people - an event described by Afghan President Hamid Karzai as “unforgivable”. - Sapa-AFP