Senior administration officials said Sunday that President Barack Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces.

The officials said that although the speech was still in draft form, the president wanted to use the address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday night not only to announce the immediate order to deploy roughly 30,000 more troops, but also to convey how he intends to turn the fight over to the Kabul government.

A senior official, who requested anonymity to discuss the speech before it is delivered, said, “It’s accurate to say that he will be more explicit about both goals and time frame than has been the case before and than has been part of the public discussion. He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down.”

(article and photo source: The New York Times)