Obama announces Afghan withdrawal

President Obama has announced plans to begin the withdrawal of tens of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan, starting in July.

Speaking in an address on US national television, he said 10,000 soldiers would be removed from Afghanistan by the end of 2011, with a total of 33,000 brought home by next summer.

He said that although al-Qaeda remained dangerous, the group was "on a path to defeat, and we will not relent until the job is done".