US President Barack Obama wants that all the 30,000 additional American troops to be sent to Afghanistan should be on the ground by the end of the next summer, the White House said on Tuesday.
"The President believes we should get our troops in there by the end of the summer," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily news briefing.
Responding to questions about the confusing signals coming from the Administration about the time line for sending troops to Afghanistan, Gibbs said: "The bulk of our forces would be in by the beginning of the summer, and that the remainder would be in by the end of the summer."
This is what was stated by Defence Secretary Robert Gates in his testimonies before the Congressional committees last week, he pointed out.
Announcing his new Afghan policy, Obama has said that he would be sending 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.