US: Last of 'Surge' Troops Out of Afghanistan

The last of the 33,000 'surge' troops ordered into Afghanistan by President Barack Obama over three years ago have withdrawn from the country, returning the American presence to pre-surge levels, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday.

The surge in American troops was designed to push back the Taliban and create space for NATO forces to build the Afghan army to point where it could take over Afghanistan's security, allowing for an eventual Western drawdown.