WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday said the United States and its allies are making important progress in the war in Afghanistan but that the gains in many areas are fragile and reversible.
Obama said the United States is on course to begin withdrawing some U.S. troops next July.
"I want to be clear: this continues to be a very difficult endeavor. But I can report that thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians on the ground, we are on track to achieve our goals," he said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick and David Morgan)
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