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US President Barack Obama said Tuesday he would surge 30,000 troops to Afghanistan at the "fastest pace possible" aiming to speed up a handover to Afghan forces and start a US pullout in July 2011.
In advance excerpts of his speech outlining a new war strategy, Obama said he was "confident" NATO allies would provide more troops for the war in Afghanistan now in its ninth year.
"The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 -- the fastest pace possible -- so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers," he said.
"We are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead," Obama added in the speech to be delivered at the West Point military academy.
"What's at stake is not simply a test of NATO's credibility -- what's at stake is the security of our allies, and the common security of the world."
He also announced that he planned to start a US withdrawal from the Afghanistan in July 2011 -- almost 10 years after the US-led invasion of the country in late 2001 toppled the Taliban Islamic militant leaders.
"These additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011.
"Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground."
Obama said the United States would continue to advise and help Afghan security forces to ensure success in the future as they battle a Taliban insurgency.
"But it will be clear to the Afghan government -- and, more importantly, to the Afghan people -- that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country."
