Gates: US Afghan withdrawal is gradual

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates say President Barack Obama's date to begin withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan is not a "drop-dead deadline".

Instead it tells Kabul the urgency of building its own defense force.

The Democratic president and his top advisors have faced sharp Republican criticism since Obama announced he would begin bringing troops home in 18 months' time.

Some Republicans say it sends the wrong message, and some have questioned whether extremists will see the date as a sign of weakness.

The country's Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have rejected the criticism and defended the president's decision. They warn that the pull-out would be a gradual, condition-based withdrawal based on the analysis of commanders on the ground. It will be carried out province by province.

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, said, "Because we're not talking about an exit strategy or a drop-dead deadline, what we're talking about is an assessment that, in January 2011, we can begin a transition, a transition to hand off responsibility to the Afghan forces."

Robert Gates, US Defense Secretary, said, "It's the beginning of a process. In July 2011, our generals are confident that they will know whether our strategy is working."

Both Clinton and Gates say having a target date will help move both countries towards a successful transition.

But before Afghan forces are ready to take over, US troops have to play a lead role in that country for "two to three to four years."

After sending 30-thousand fresh troops, the US forces in Afghanistan will reach about 100-thousand.