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President Obama Remarks on Afghanistan; Panel Discusses Obama Speech; Man Fatally Shot by Police. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 06, 2016 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning, everybody.

More than 14 years ago, after Al Qaida attacked our nation on 9/11, the United States went to war in Afghanistan against these terrorists and the Taliban that harbored them. Over the years and thanks to heroic efforts by our military, our intelligence community, our diplomats and our development professionals, we pushed Al Qaida out of its camps, helped the Afghan people topple the Taliban and helped them establish a democratic government.

We dealt crippling blows to the Al Qaida leadership, we delivered justice to Osama bin Laden and we trained Afghan forces to talk responsibility for their security. And given that process, a year and a half ago in December of 2014, America's combat mission in Afghanistan came to a responsible end.

Compared to the 100,000 troops we once had there, today, fewer than 10,000 remain. And compared to their previous mission, helping to lead the fight, our forces are now focused on two narrow missions: training and advising Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorist operations against the remnants of Al Qaida as well as other terrorist groups, including ISIL.

In short, even as we've maintained a relentless, you know, case against those who are threatening us, we are no longer engaged in a major ground war in Afghanistan. But even these narrow missions continue to be dangerous. Over the past year and a half, 38 Americans, military and civilian, have lost their lives in Afghanistan on behalf of our security, and we honor their sacrifice. We stand with their families in their grief and in their pride and we resolve to carry on the mission for which they gave their last full measure of devotion.

This is also not America's mission alone. In Afghanistan, we're joined by 41 allies and partners, a coalition that contributes more than 6,000 troops of their own.

We have a partner in the Afghan government, in the Afghan people, who support a long-term strategic partnership with the United States. And in fact, Afghans continue to step up.

For the second year now, Afghan forces are fully responsible for their own security. Every day nearly 320,000 Afghan soldiers and police are serving and fighting. And many are giving their lives to defend their country.

To their credit and in the face of a continued Taliban insurgency and terrorist networks, Afghan forces remain in control of all the major population centers, provincial (ph) capitals, major transit routes and most district centers.

Afghan forces have beaten back attacks and they've pushed the Taliban out of some areas. Meanwhile, in another milestone, we recently removed the leader of the Taliban, Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.

Nevertheless, the security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious. Even as they improve, Afghan security forces are still not as strong as they need to be. With our help, they're still working to improve critical capabilities, such as intelligence, logistics, aviation and command and control.

At the same time, the Taliban remains a threat. They've gained ground in some cases. They've continued attacks and suicide bombings, including in Kabul. Because the Taliban deliberately target innocent civilians, more Afghan men, women and children are dying and often overlooked in the global refugee crisis.

Millions of Afghans have fled their homes and many have been fleeing their country. As president and commander and chief, I've made it clear that I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.

That's why I constantly review our strategy with my national security team, including our commanders in Afghanistan. In all these reviews we're guided by the facts, what's happening on the ground, to determine what's working and what needs to be changed.

And that's why, at times, I've made adjustments. For example, by slowing the drawdown of our forces and, more recently, by giving U.S. forces more flexibility to support Afghan forces on the ground and in the air.

And I strongly believe that it is in our national security interest, especially after all the blood and treasure we've invested in Afghanistan over the years, that we give our Afghan partners the very best opportunity to succeed.

Upon taking command of coalition forces this spring, General Nicholson conducted a review of the security situation in Afghanistan and our military posture. It was good to get a fresh set of eyes. And based on the recommendation of General Nicholson, as well as Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford, and following extensive consultations with my national security team, as well as Congress and the Afghan government and our international partners, I'm announcing an additional adjustment to our posture.

Instead of going down to 5500 troops by the end of this year, the United States will maintain approximately 8400 troops in Afghanistan into next year through the end of my administration. The narrow missions assigned to our forces will not change. They

remain focused on supporting Afghan forces and going after terrorists. But maintaining our forces at this specific level, based on our assessment of the security conditions and the strength of Afghan forces, will allow us to continue to provide tailored support to help Afghan forces continue to improve.

From coalition bases in Jalalabad and Kandahar, we'll be able to continue supporting Afghan forces on the ground and in the air and we continue supporting critical counterterrorism operations.

And we're -- reaffirming the enduring commitment of the United States to Afghanistan and its people. The decision I'm making today can help our allies and partners align their own commitments.

As you know, tomorrow, I depart for the NATO Summit in Warsaw where I'll meet with our coalition partners and Afghan President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah.

Many of our allies and partners have already stepped forward with commitments of troops and funding so that we can keep strengthening Afghan forces through the end of this decade.

The NATO Summit will be an opportunity for more allies and partners to affirm their contributions, and I'm confident they will, because all of us have a vital interest in the security and stability of Afghanistan.

My decision today also sends a message to the Taliban and all those who have opposed Afghanistan's progress. You have now been waging war against the Afghan people for many years. You've been unable to prevail. Afghan security forces continue to grow stronger and the commitment of the international community, including the United States to Afghanistan and its people, will endure.

I will say it again. The only way to end this conflict and to achieve a full drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan is through a lasting political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban. That's the only way. That is why the United States will continue to strongly support an Afghan-led reconciliation process and why we call on all countries in the region to end safe havens for militants and terrorists.

Finally, today's decision best positions my successor to make future decisions about our presence in Afghanistan. In January, the next U.S. president will assume the most solemn responsibility of the commander-in-chief, security of the United States and the safety of the American people. The decision I'm making today ensures that my successor has a solid foundation for continued progress in Afghanistan as well as the flexibility to address the threat of terrorism as it evolves.

So in closing, I want to address directly what I know is on the minds of many Americans, especially our troops and their families who have born a heavy burden for our security. When we first sent our forces into Afghanistan 14 years ago, few Americans imagined we'd be there in any capacity this long. As president, I focused our strategy on training and building up Afghan forces.

It has been continually my belief that it is up to Afghans to defend their country. Because we have emphasized training their capabilities, we've been able to end our major ground war there and bring 90 percent of our troops back home. But even as we work for peace, we have to deal with the realities of the world as it is. We can't forget what's at stake in Afghanistan. This is where Al Qaida is trying to regroup, this is where ISIL continues to try to expand its presence.

If these terrorists succeed in regaining areas and camps where they can train and plot, they will attempt more attacks against us. We cannot allow that to happen. I will not allow that to happen.

This September will mark 15 years since the attacks of 9/11. And once more, we'll pause to remember the lives we lost, Americans and people from around the world. We'll stand with their families who still grieve, we'll stand with survivors who still bear the scars of that day. We'll thank the first responders who rushed to save others.

And perhaps most importantly, we'll salute our men and women in uniform, our 9/11 generation, who have served in Afghanistan and beyond for our security. We'll honor the memory of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 2,200 American patriots who have given their lives in Afghanistan. As we do, let's never forget the progress their service has made possible.

Afghanistan is not a perfect place. It remains one of the poorest countries in the world. It is going to continue to take time for them to build up military capacity that we sometimes take for granted. And given the enormous challenges they face, the Afghan people will need the partnership of the world, led by the United States, for many years to come.

But with our support, Afghanistan is a better place than it once was. Millions of Afghan children, boys and girls, are in school. Dramatic improvements in public health have saved the lives of mothers and children. Afghans have cast their ballots in democratic elections and seen the first democratic transfer of power in their country's history.

The current National Unity Government continues to pursue reforms, including record revenues last year, to strengthen their country and over time, help decrease the need for international support. That government is a strong partner with us in combating terrorism. That's the progress we've helped make possible. That's the progress that our troops have helped make possible and our diplomats and our development personnel. That's the progress we can help sustain in partnership with the Afghan people and our coalition partners.

And so I firmly believe that the decision I'm announcing today is the right thing to do for Afghanistan, for the United States, and for the world.

May God bless our troops and all who serve to protect us. May God bless the United States of America.

[10:40:50]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN LEAD POLITICAL ANCHOR: The President of the United States flanked (ph) by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs making a major announcement that most of the U.S. troops currently serving in Afghanistan will in fact remain in Afghanistan through the end of his administration. That ends on January 20th of next year.

The President announcing there will be a troop level of 8,400. There are close to 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan right now. Another 6,000 from allied nations including NATO partners beyond that. The President said there was an Afghan military and police presence of 320,000 troops.

Lots to digest right now. President clearly had hoped that most U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan by the end of his term, by the end of this administration. Barbara Starr is standing by at the Pentagon. We have complete analysis with our correspondents and analysts standing by. But quickly, your reaction, Barbara? What's the sense at the Pentagon right now about the President's decision?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I think it's fair to say behind the scenes military commanders had wanted this for sometime as they had looked at the situation in Afghanistan over the last several months. Not a big surprise.

But it is more than just a numbers game of how many troops you are going to keep in Afghanistan. Afghanistan for the U.S., a very different battlefield. This is a country where there is not a strong tradition of a central governance and a central security structure. This is what has lead to the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and in Eastern Afghanistan, ISIS, being able to get some toe holds that are of such concern.

The Afghan military may have 20 -- 320,000 but they're not everywhere, they're not all fully capable of fighting, and the U.S. well knows that. That's why the Taliban have been the number one concern -- that they are back taking hold in some of the remote areas in the South, in the East, where Afghan forces simply cannot get to on a continuing basis.

Several weeks ago, the President made perhaps the most crucial decision. He gave U.S. troops ground and air extended authority to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. That was a very significant step forward. It was a big sign that the U.S. thinks the Taliban are still a force that has to be reckoned with. I think you can expect to see some criticism of the President. The

Republicans have long been opponents of the so-called deadlines that the White House has announced troops will be out by such and such a date. They have said that. Deadline gives the Taliban room to come back. They know or believe the U.S. will be gone.

The President making clear that at least through his administration, that he believes more troops in fact, will be necessary. The deadlines that originally had been set, not working too well. Wolf?

BLITZER: And the troops that will remain -- I just want to be precise on this, Barbara -- the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, they do have immunity. This was a big issue when the President at the end of 2011, removed all U.S. troops from Iraq. Because the government at that time -- of Nouri al-Maliki -- refused to provide immunity to those U.S. military personnel. There were only a few hundred troops left, now it's built up to close to 5,000 in Iraq.

But the U.S. troops who will remain, at least indefinitely now, in Afghanistan, they have immunity from domestic Afghan laws prosecution.

STARR: Well there is a so-called status of forces agreement type situation. Where the U.S. and Afghanistan, the government there, have worked out those details. But Wolf, you raise a really interesting point here. Why not just send more troops? Because there is a government in Afghanistan.

That's a key issue in both Afghanistan and Iraq. There are now sovereign governments there that get to vote about how many foreign troops they want in their country. So it is a big step for the Afghan government to acknowledge and agree to keep these extra troops. There's a lot of feeling that in that country, that they want foreigners out of there.

The Afghan government of Ghani, President Ghani making clear by agreeing to this decision, he does need more help. But clearly it would be a very different matter if he were to try and ask them if they wanted a large number of additional U.S. troops in their country, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, let's get some more reaction and analysis. Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona is joining us. One of our retired military analysts. Colonel Francona, if Iraq, if the Afghan military and police have a force of 320,000 -- they've been trained over the past nearly 15 years by the U.S.

The U.S. has spent tens of billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in Afghanistan training these Afghan military personnel. Why are they still incapable of getting the job done against literally just a few thousand Taliban, Al Qaeda, and ISIS personnel who are fighting them in Afghanistan?

LIEUTENANT COLONEL RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Because well, one of the problems is they don't have the retainability that they need. They have 320,000 troops at any given time. But they're not the same 320,000 troops. They rotate in, they rotate out. For many of them it's just a job.

WOLF: Well let's say they have 100,000, Colonel. What's wrong with 100,000 fighting -- if they were capable -- as opposed to, the criticism is they're basically inept. They can't get the job done despite the best of intentions. What's wrong with 100,000 troops fighting a limited number of Taliban, Al Qaeda, and ISIS terrorists?

FRANCONA: Well, even 100,000 Wolf, they can't be everywhere at every time. And so they can react, but they can't actually go out and maintain the presence on the ground that they need. There's no history of a central government in Afghanistan. And if you don't have the history of a central government, it's hard to control that large territory with a few people.

320,000 sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. You would need at least that just to maintain some presence. They just don't have the -- I'm not saying wherewithal but -- and I think the Secretary said this before. He's very concerned about their commitment to the cause. For many of these people, it's just a paycheck.

BLITZER: Let me bring Spider Marks, retired U.S. General, into this conversation as well. Spider, the whole notion of the U.S. indefinitely keeping troops in Afghanistan and is now emerging as the longest war in American history. Almost 15 years now, coming up to 15 years. How much longer are the U.S. going to have to be involved together with a limited number of NATO personnel in Afghanistan, until the Afghan military really has the capability, the political will to get the job done on their own?

JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Wolf that's really the magical question. It's a matter, as Rick described, of achieving a culture within its military and in its own governance, that's going to allow them to embrace the challenges that they face with some degree of credibility.

And right now -- and I think the President laid it out very, very precisely. He said the challenges is not again with the quantity of the Afghan military and law enforcement capabilities. It's the quality and what the United States brings to bear, and with our coalition partners, we bring -- and the President was very precise -- we bring intelligence, logistics, command and control, and aviation support.

And if you spent two seconds in Afghanistan, you know that that nation is completely cutoff. It is vulcanized. You have isolated pockets of success in different locations throughout the country. Yet none of those are fully, extensively, and aggressively connected. There's no real lines of communication that allow you to maneuver and to get from point A to point B with any degree of facility (ph).

So the United States capabilities, along with its partners, are essential over the nearterm. And what the President has clearly said is, look, there is a notion of a transition decision. He's leaving office, he wants to make sure that his successor's in a position to embrace, and to have a sense of what's going on in Afghanistan. The good message is he listened to his commander on the ground who

initially had indicated he was concerned. That's General Nicholson. He was agnostic, he was objective, but he was concerned that the path to 5,500 U.S. soldiers or service members on the ground was precious too few. So he came back and he said look, hold what we have until we can assess further down the road.

BLITZER: Right. David Gergen, his critics will point out that at least the President is acknowledging indirectly that the blender -- they say he made at the end of 2011 when he removed almost all U.S. troops from Iraq -- and since then we've seen what has happened in Iraq -- we've seen the development of ISIS in Iraq and we've seen the number of U.S. troops going back up. They'll say he at least learned that lesson and he's implementing it now in Afghanistan by refusing to reduce the number significantly.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's absolutely right, Wolf. The President really didn't want to do this today. For the last eight years as you well know, he's wanted to leave behind a legacy that he ended two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He got the troops out of there. He really thought that was very, very important for the country.

But once he removed those troops from Iraq and things fell apart there, and we had ISIS come in, he's been under enormous pressure not to do the same thing in Afghanistan. Not only from the commanders in the field, but also within the Defense Department itself. Ash Carter, the Secretary, is -- believes in a tough U.S. response to ISIS. And he does not want to see Afghanistan fall apart.

So I think the President went against the grain today. A hard decision for him to make, clearly he's not very comfortable doing it. But it's the right decision, the wise decision. And I think that within American politics what's very clear now is that the next President is going to inherit a very complex world with a lot of tough decisions ahead.

BLITZER: Yes, very complex world in Afghanistan and in Iraq and you're absolutely right. I have no doubt the President would have liked to end his second term in office and 8 years as President of the United States, and be able to say all U.S. troops are out of Afghanistan, are out of Iraq. But that clearly is not going to happen in either country.

Everyone stand by, we're going to continue to stay on top of the breaking news. There's a lot happening today. We'll be right back.

[10:51:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST, "NEWSROOM": And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Moments ago House Speaker Paul Ryan called for more answers from the FBI when it comes to the agency's decision to not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton. He also said Clinton should be denied access to classified briefings. All of this as FBI -- as the FBI Director, James Comey, gets ready to

testify on Capitol Hill tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I think Director Comey's press conference tomorrow raises more questions than provides answers. That's point number one. Point number two, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered. And so we're going to be asking those questions.

I know the Judiciary Committee sent a letter I think, last night with a number of questions. OGR, that committee is going to invite the FBI Director to come up and testify. He did say that short of prosecution, some kind of administrative action might be in order.

Look, I was on the ticket in 2012. After the convention, you get the full, deep classified information as part of transition, as part of being a nominee. I think the DNI, Clapper, should deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during this campaign, given how she so recklessly handled classified information.

That's point one. Point two, Director Comey's presentation shredded the claims that Secretary Clinton made throughout the year with respect to this issue. He laid out a case how the things she had been saying she had or had not done were false. So we have seen nothing but stonewalling and dishonesty from Secretary Clinton on this issue. And that means there are a lot more questions that need to be answered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:57:15]

COSTELLO: We have also learned that the Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, will testify next week. So let's get right to CNN's Manu Raju, he has more on all of this. Good morning.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. Now this is one piece of that -- Congress' response to the revelation that Hillary Clinton "carelessly," -- in the words of FBI Director James Comey -- handled classified intelligence. Now tomorrow that hearing will take place, as you mentioned. And the House Oversight Committee, run by Jason Chaffetz, expect a lot of very, very tough questions for Mister Comey. Republicans are not satisfied with his decision to not refer the case for criminal prosecution by the Justice Department.

Now the question is, what can Congress do next? What else can Republicans do to put pressure on Hillary Clinton, on the administration, going forward. Now you played a little bit of sound from that Paul Ryan press conference. I had a chance to follow up and ask him specifically, does Congress do anything to deny Hillary Clinton of the right to get those classified briefings?

And he said very clearly, this is something that we're looking at, this is something that administration should do. We're not foreclosing any options and that includes possibly pushing for a special prosecutor, that's something that some Republican lawmakers are seeking right now. Paul Ryan said he is not ruling that option out either. So clearly we're only seeing this intensify as we head in the final months. So while Hillary Clinton's legal problems may be over, her political problems are only just beginning in the eyes of Republicans, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Manu Raju reporting live from Capitol Hill. Also at the top of the hour, Louisiana's governor is due to hold a news conference on a deadly police shooting that ignited overnight protests. The case has blown up on social media after a cell phone video of the confrontation went viral. I want to warn you, what you're about to see is quite graphic. You'll see it in just a second.

You'll see a 37-year old man slammed to the ground outside a Baton Rouge convenience store as Alton Sterling tussles with police. He's 37 years old. He's shot several times in the chest, maybe in the back, we don't know. Of course we'll carry the governor's news conference. It is set to take place minutes from now at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.

But there was a very emotional press conference that we aired just about a half hour ago, from Mister Sterling's family. His 15-year old son broke down, he was just sobbing. The NAACP gave -- the Director of the local chapter of the NAACP gave this fiery statement that the police chief in Baton Rouge should be fired over this incident.

And as of yet, the police chief has yet to issue a public statement. Which is just confusing people in Baton Rouge. Again, the Governor is expected to talk at the top of the hour. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. AT THIS HOUR with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

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