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Obama Says US Finishing Afghan Job

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the nation emerges from more than a decade of war, President Barack Obama is seeking to recast U.S. foreign policy as an endeavor aimed at building international consensus and avoiding unilateral overreach.

Obama was to outline his approach Wednesday during a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. The speech comes one day after the president put forward a blueprint for ending U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan by the time he leaves office.

"I'm confident that if we carry out this approach, we can not only responsibly end our war in Afghanistan and achieve the objectives that took us to war in the first place, we'll also be able to begin a new chapter in the story of American leadership around the world," Obama said Tuesday during an appearance in the White House Rose Garden.

Obama's efforts to pull the U.S. out of the lengthy and expensive conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have largely defined his foreign policy for much of his presidency. But he's at times struggled to articulate how his response to a new set of challenges in places like Syria, Ukraine and Iran fit into an overarching foreign policy philosophy.

That's left Obama open to intense criticism from opponents who argue he has squandered America's global leadership and lacks the credible threat of action that can stop international foes. That criticism has deeply frustrated the president and is a driving factor in his decision to deliver Wednesday's speech.

White House officials say Obama will argue that the U.S. is a linchpin in efforts to seek international cooperation, a posture that puts the nation on stronger footing than when it acts alone. Officials point to U.S. actions involving Ukraine, with Washington rallying European nations to join the U.S. in enacting economic sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula. And with Iran, the U.S. led secret talks with the Islamic republic that spurred broader international nuclear negotiations.

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This May 25, 2014 file photo shows President Barack Obama speaking during a troop rally after arrivi …

The crisis in Syria continues to be among the most vexing problems facing the White House. Even as Obama contends that an agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons was a success, that deal has done nothing to end the bloody civil war, which is now in its fourth year and which, according to activists, has left more than 160,000 people dead.

Obama is expected to cast Syria as a counterterrorism challenge in his speech Wednesday, making clear the U.S. continues to believe the right approach is strengthening the moderate opposition fighting forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. Administration officials say Obama may soon sign off on a project to train and equip those rebels, though it appeared unlikely that program would be ready for him to announce at West Point.

The president is also expected to discuss the counterterrorism threat facing the U.S. more broadly, arguing as he often has that core al-Qaida has been weakened even if splinter groups become a growing menace.

Counterterrorism missions will be a central part of the continued U.S. military presence in Afghanistan that Obama announced Tuesday. Though combat missions will officially end later this year, Obama is leaving behind about 10,000 U.S. troops to train Afghan security forces and try to push back extremists.

The U.S. troop presence will be cut in half by the end of 2015 and concentrated in the capital of Kabul and at Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan. By the end of 2016, as Obama is preparing to leave the White House, the U.S. troop presence will be cut to fewer than 1,000.

The drawdown blueprint is contingent on Afghanistan's government signing a stalled bilateral security agreement. While Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the accord, U.S. officials say they're confident that either of the candidates running to replace him will finalize the deal.

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The White House announces a $5B anti-terror fund hours before the president's West Point address.
Motivation behind speech

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — In a broad defense of his foreign policy, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that the U.S. remains the world's most indispensable nation, even after a "long season of war," but argued for restraint before embarking on more military adventures.

Standing before the newest class of officers graduating from the U.S. Military Academy, Obama said, "I would betray my duty to you, and to the country we love, if I sent you into harm's way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed fixing, or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak."

Obama's speech signaled a concerted effort by the White House to push back against those critics, who contend that the president's approach to global problems has been too cautious and has emboldened adversaries in Syria, Russia and China. It's a criticism that deeply frustrates the president and his advisers, who say Obama's efforts to keep the U.S. out of more military conflicts are in line with the views of the American public.

In a direct challenge to his critics, Obama declared: "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it's our willingness to affirm them through our actions."

Even as the U.S. emerges from the two wars that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Obama said terrorism remains the most direct threat to American security. But he argued that as the threat has shifted from a centralized al-Qaida to an array of affiliates, the American response must change too.

Rather than launching large-scale military efforts, Obama called for partnering with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold. That effort includes a new $5 billion fund to help countries fight terrorism and to expand funding for Defense Department intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, special operations and other activities.

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U.S. President Barack Obama hands a diploma to a graduate during a commencement ceremony at the Unit …

Obama cast the bloody civil war in Syria as more of counterterrorism challenge than a humanitarian crisis. He defended his decision to keep the U.S. military out of the conflict but said he would seek to increase support for the Syrian opposition, as well as neighboring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq that have faced an influx of refugees and fear the spread of terrorism.

"In helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we also push back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos," Obama said.

One plan being considered by the White House is a project to train and equip members of the Free Syrian Army on tactics, including counterterrorism.

Obama's handling of the Syria conflict has intensified criticism of his foreign policy. After the Syrian government launched a chemical weapons attack last year — a move that crossed Obama's self-proclaimed "red line" — the president moved toward a military strike on Syria, only to reverse course and seek congressional approval, then abandon a strike altogether in favor of a deal to strip Syria of its stockpile of deadly gases.

The president's speech came one day after he outlined plans to wind down America's lengthy war in Afghanistan by the end of 2016. The blueprint calls for keeping 9,800 troops in Afghanistan for training and counterterrorism even after combat missions end later this year, but then withdraw them within two years.

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This May 25, 2014 file photo shows President Barack Obama speaking during a troop rally after arrivi …

The drawdown plan is central to Obama's long-standing pledge to bring to a close both the Afghan conflict and the Iraq war, which ended in late 2011. He was greeted by cheers from the graduating cadets when he noted that they had the distinction of being "the first class to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in Iraq or Afghanistan."

Even as he heralded the end of those two wars, Obama said the U.S. would continue to use military force on its own "when our core interests demand it — when our people are threatened, when our livelihood is at stake, or when the security of our allies is in danger." He also continued to defend his use of drone strikes in places like Yemen and Somalia but called for increased transparency about the program that has long been shrouded in secrecy.

But a centerpiece of Obama's address was a defense of his preference for acting as part of an international coalition instead of pressing ahead alone. He challenged skeptics who see that approach as a sign of weakness and argued instead that it instead highlights America's ability to lead on the world stage.

Obama cited recent efforts to rally European support for sanctions against Russia after the Kremlin annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. While the president insisted that Russia is now isolated, Obama's critics contend that his inability to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking Crimea in the first place was a sign of weakness.

Obama also praised ongoing diplomatic efforts between Iran, the U.S. and its negotiating partners — Germany, Britain, France, China and Russia — that aim to strip the Islamic republic of its nuclear capabilities. While Obama said the odds of reaching an agreement are still long, he also said a diplomatic breakthrough would be "more effective and durable than what would be achieved through the use of force."

"Throughout these negotiations, it has been our willingness to work through multilateral channels that kept the world on our side," he said.

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Julie Pace reported from Washington.

At West Point, the president says America remains the world's most indispensable nation.
Pushes back against critics

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday the U.S. will increase assistance to the Syrian opposition, opening the way for the likely training and possibly equipping of moderate rebels fighting to oust leader Bashar Assad.

In a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Obama framed the situation in Syria as a counterterrorism challenge and said it would be centerpiece of a new focus on battling violent extremism even as Assad's removal is a priority.

"In helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we also push back against the growing number of extremists who find safe-haven in the chaos," Obama told the graduating cadets.

"I will work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator," he said.

His remarks were immediately hailed by the Syrian Opposition Coalition, which said in a statement it "appreciates American support to the Syrian people in their struggle against the Assad regime."

Administration officials said the proposed mission would be aligned with, but not necessarily part of a new $5 billion counterterrorism initiative that Obama announced in his speech.

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Free Syrian Army fighters hold their weapons as they walk in the Aleppo countryside May 26, 2014. Pi …

The officials said they would seek congressional authorization for the program because it might require invoking the War Powers Act.

The Senate Armed Services Committee last week passed a bill that authorizes the Defense Department to provide training and equipment elements of the Syrian opposition that have been screened. It is unclear when the bill may be considered by the full Senate or the House of Representatives.

Under the planned initiative, the U.S. would send a limited number of American troops to Jordan to be part of a regional training mission that would instruct carefully screened members of the Free Syrian Army on weapons handling and tactics, officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss administration deliberations by name.

In addition to the counterterrorism aspect, the State Department, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies, along with many in Congress who back the move, have concluded Assad will not budge without a change in the military situation in Syria.

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In this Thursday, June 20, 2013 file photo, soldiers participate in a combined special operations de …

The U.S. has covert support operations in place for the Syrian opposition and has spent $287 million so far in nonlethal aid on the civil war, now in its fourth year with a death toll surpassing 160,000, according to estimates.

Rebel commanders for three years have asked the U.S. for lethal assistance as they've seen gains wiped out one after another. The U.S. has been reluctant to move to that kind of aid for fear weapons could end up in the hands of extremist rebels who might then turn on neighboring Israel or against U.S. interests.

The proposed mission would be coordinated by the U.S. but involve many of the regional players active in assisting the rebels, including Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the officials said.

Saudi cooperation is critical and has been a main topic of conversation in recent weeks between the U.S. and the kingdom, including Obama and Saudi King Abdullah, the officials said.

The proposal has evolved in intense, high-level discussions between the United States and Jordan, which over the weekend expelled the Syrian ambassador as part of what is planned to be an escalation in the effort to isolate Assad.

Obama hints at greater U.S. support in SyriaPlay Video

Assad is running for re-election in a June vote that the U.S. and its allies have condemned as a farce.

Jordan's King Abdullah II was in Washington last week and met with Secretary of State John Kerry. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made a stop in Jordan this month during a Middle East trip.

The U.S. has roughly 1,500 military troops in Jordan, in addition to the approximately 6,000 that recently arrived there for a limited time to participate in the annual Eager Lion military exercise.

Eager Lion 2014 includes members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as U.S. ships and aircraft. The exercise started this past weekend.

Last year, after Eager Lion 2013 finished, the U.S. left a detachment of F-16 fighter jets and a Patriot missile battery there and about 1,000 personnel associated with the aircraft and the missile system. There also is a staff of about 400 U.S. military in Jordan and there were troops there to assist the Jordanians with chemical weapons training.

Small teams of U.S. special operations forces also have rotated in and out of the country conducting exercises with Jordanian and Iraqi commandos. The last session was in April and another is scheduled for June.

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AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just after midnight last Christmas, Pakistani officials say, two Hellfire missiles from a U.S. drone slammed into a house in Miramshah, Pakistan, killing four militants.

It was an otherwise unremarkable episode in the sixth year of a relentless unmanned aerial campaign by the CIA. Unremarkable, except for this: There hasn't been a drone strike reported in Pakistan in the months since.

The secret targeted killing program that once was the mainstay of President Barack Obama's counterterrorism effort appears to be winding down. In a major foreign policy speech at the U.S. Military Academy on Wednesday, Obama said the U.S. would continue to carry out occasional drone strikes, but he cited Yemen and Somalia, not Pakistan, where drone missiles once rained down at a rate of two per week.

Armed U.S. drones are still flying regularly over Pakistan's tribal areas, and CIA targeting officers are still nominating militants to a kill list, according to U.S. officials regularly briefed on the covert program who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss covert programs publicly. But over the past five months, no missiles have been fired.

And while the CIA won't say the program has ended, Obama announced this week a plan to pull nearly all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016. The targeted killing program in Pakistan relies on drones flown from, and intelligence gathered in, U.S. bases in Afghanistan that would then be closed.

"The program (in Pakistan) appears to have ended," said Peter Bergen, who has closely studied drone strikes for the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank.

Several factors are driving the change, U.S. officials say. Many of the senior al-Qaida figures in Pakistan have been killed. Those who remain are much harder to target because they are avoiding mobile phones and traveling with children, benefiting from stricter targeting rules designed to prevent civilian casualties. The drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has eliminated the need for "force protection" strikes against large gatherings of militants in Pakistan suspected of plotting attacks against American troops.

Also, the tribal areas of Pakistan are no longer the hotbed of al-Qaida activity they once were, officials and outside analysts say. Hardcore al-Qaida militants from Pakistan have gone to Syria and Yemen, home to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which U.S. officials consider the most dangerous al-Qaida affiliate.

And Obama administration officials are pushing to have the U.S. military, not the CIA, carry out drone strikes. Since the military generally requires permission from a country to operate on its territory, most analysts don't believe it could carry out regular drone attacks in Pakistan.

The CIA and the White House declined to comment for this story.

For as long as they are able to fly over Pakistan, CIA drones will hunt for senior al-Qaida figures, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's leader, U.S. officials say. If the agency gets a clean shot at such a target next week or next year, it will push the button, they say.

But as the CIA closes its remote Afghanistan outposts where case officers met with Pakistani sources and technicians eavesdropped on cellphones, intelligence collection will dry up, making militants harder to track.

"By the end of this year, we will have a noticeable degradation in our ability to collect intelligence on people of concern," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Without commenting explicitly about drone strikes, Rogers criticized what he calls "a pullback in the counterterrorism strategy," a move he says "has made Americans a little less safe."

The current drone cease-fire in Pakistan is by far the longest pause since President George W. Bush ordered a stepped-up campaign of targeted strikes in that country's tribal area in the summer of 2008. The pace intensified under Obama. All told, there have been 354 strikes in Pakistan since 2004, according to the Long War Journal, an online publication that tracks the strikes through media reports.

But the rate of strikes began falling in 2011 and decreased each year since. Last year, Obama announced stricter targeting criteria, including a provision that no strike would occur unless there was "a near certainty" that civilians would not be harmed.

Even before that, American officials appear to have made the calculation that it was no longer worth it to attack lower-level militants in Pakistan, given the bitter opposition to the attacks in that country. Last year, an analysis by the New America Foundation found that just 58 known militant leaders had been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan, representing just 2 percent of the total deaths.

Obama seemed to allude to the backlash Wednesday when he said, "Our actions should meet a simple test: We must not create more enemies than we take off the battlefield."

In December, the Obama administration reached an informal deal with Pakistan that the CIA would suspend drone strikes — except against the most senior al-Qaida leaders — while the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pursues peace talks with the Taliban. The talks have sputtered, and last week Pakistani fighter jets killed more than 60 people in North Waziristan, a militant stronghold, according to local media reports.

But Pakistani officials say the cessation in drone strikes has strengthened support for counterterrorism operations among a public that deeply resented an American bombing campaign on its soil. A senior Pakistani official said the hiatus made the government feel like the U.S. was hearing their concerns.

CIA drone program in Pakistan winding down

The secret targeted killings that were once a mainstay of U.S. counterterrorism efforts may be ending.
No strikes for 5 months

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan speaks to the media on the situation in Chibok and the success of the World Economic Forum in Abuja May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

By Tim Cocks

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's president said on Thursday he had ordered "a full-scale operation" against Boko Haram Islamist militants and sought to reassure the parents of 219 schoolgirls being held by the group that their children would be freed.

Speaking on Nigeria's Democracy Day, Goodluck Jonathan said he had authorised security forces to use any means necessary under the law to ensure that Boko Haram, which operates in the country's northeast is defeated.

"I am determined to protect our democracy, our national unity and our political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism," Jonathan said in a TV speech.

It was not immediately what such an offensive could entail given that the northeast of the country has been under a state of emergency and a full scale military operation for a year. Nigerian forces are also hugely overstretched.

The phrase "total war", however, was used by Chad's President Idriss Deby following a meeting of Nigeria's neighbours in Paris in mid-May, in which they sought a common strategy to fight the militants.

"I assure you ... that these thugs will be driven away. It will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal," Jonathan said.

On April 14 Boko Haram militants surrounded a secondary school in the remote northeastern village of Chibok and took away 276 girls who had been taking exams in trucks, according to official figures from an audit this week.

Nigeria's Borno state, which is at epicentre of the insurgency, said on Wednesday a total of 57 of the kidnapped girls had escaped. But 219 others were still missing and assumed held by the militants, who say they are fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria and have killed thousands over the years.

"With the support of Nigerians, our neighbours and the international community, we will reinforce our defence, free our girls and rid Nigeria of terrorists," Jonathan said.

"I share the deep pain and anxiety of their parents."

INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

The mass abduction thrust the Islamist insurgency into the international spotlight like never before, with a #BringBackOurGirls Twitter campaign drawing in U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.

Capitalising on this, Jonathan has sought to paint Boko Haram as part of a broader global jihadist movement being directed from abroad, the first time he has taken this line.

"Extremist foreign elements, collaborating with some of our misguided citizens," was one phrase he used to describe them.

"What we are witnessing in Nigeria today is a manifestation of the same warped and ferocious world view that brought down the Twin Towers in New York (and) killed innocent persons in Boston," Jonathan said, referring, respectively, to the September 11, 2001 attacks and the April 2013 marathon bombing.

Scores have been killed in Nigerian bombings in the past month, including two on the capital Abuja.

But signalling a willingness to negotiate, Jonathan said: "our doors remain open to them for dialogue and reconciliation."

Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh said on Tuesday the military knew where the abducted girls were but ruled out a rescue by force for fear of endangering them. The military was criticised for its slow response to the crisis, but Jonathan has accepted international help.

U.S. troops have deployed to Chad on a mission to find the girls, and surveillance drones are being used.

President Goodluck Jonathan issues a warning to terrorists, as rescue efforts for 200 schoolgirls increase.
'Any means necessary'