Secretary Gates: U.S. forces in Afghanistan will come home 'no later than July 2011'

Defense Secretary Robert Gates hinted that U.S. troops could leave Afghanistan prior to the previously announced July 2011 troop withdrawal date during a recent trip to Afghanistan.

The decision, however, according to Gates, "would have to be conditions-based."

"We will begin that transition no later than July 2011, but the pace will depend also on conditions on the ground," Gates said after watching training exercises of Afghan soldiers.

This news comes just a few months after President Obama ordered a controversial troop surge of 30,000 additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan.

The U.S. hope is to grow the Afghan National Security Forces to their authorized size of 170,000 soldiers and 134,000 police by the pullout date.

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who accompanied Gates on his trip to Afghan, says he is confident Afghan forces will meet the task.

Gates' visit to Afghanistan came as NATO-led coalition forces are pressing an offensive against Taliban forces around the town of Marjah in southern Helmand province. The offensive was launched in February by an international coalition of 15,000 troops, including Afghans, Americans, Britons, Canadians, Danes and Estonians.

This is exciting news for most Americans who denounced the troop surge when President Obama first announced his decision to send an additional 30,000 U.S. forces to Afghanistan. It appears that President Obama is winning the war in Afghanistan - something his predecessor, President Bush, was never able to accomplish. While our president did not ask for this war, he certainly has shown strong leadership, amidst critical public opinion, in an effort to do what he thought was right to secure the region. So far it looks like he was right. Now lets just hope Secretary Gates is right about his assumption that troops might be able to come home before the July 2011 deadline.