"I can`t say anything with 100 percent certainty but am confident that our troops have done an incredible amount of work," Obama said. "They are on the offensive rather than being on the defensive and we`re starting to transition so that Afghan security forces are taking over."
Pressed by Fox television if the United States would win the nine-year war in Afghanistan, Obama said: "I can say we will defeat Al Qaeda and that the Taliban will not be retaking Afghanistan," but conceded: "the Taliban are still going to be an element in Afghanistan."
In his State of the Union address last month, Obama reiterated pledges to start withdrawing some of the nearly 100,000 US troops in July and to begin handing over security duties to Afghan forces this year.
Top US officials have suggested an initial mid-2011 withdrawal date will only involve the return of a small number of troops, with NATO leaders aiming to hand over security for to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
