Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States' relationship with Afghanistan is going to begin changing in July 2011.
Gates made the comments in an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation.
Special: Get Sarah Palin’s New Book – Incredible FREE Offer – Click Here Now.
When President Barack Obama announced this past week that he was sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, he also set a timeline for starting troop withdrawals in July 2011.
Gates said the U.S. will begin transferring responsibility for security district by district, province by province to the Afghans. And he said that Afghans should understand the nature of their relationship with the U.S. will begin changing then as well. He said the economic, development and political aspects of the relationship will become a bigger part.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.