responsibility, in line with the president's goal of supporting an iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. they're also part of a broader national security approach. by drawing down our forces, we have reduced the strain on our force and refocused our resources on taking the fight to al-qaeda around the world. even as we have increased our commitment in afghanistan with roughly 98,000 troops now serving there, we have still managed to reduce by roughly 30,000 the total number of troops we have serving in iraq and afghanistan. i also should mention one other point, we are saddened today by the loss of life that was tragically -- that tragically occurred by a bombing in mogadishu, indiana -- \i did/ids our -- it's our understanding there were 30 killed. this is a tragic act, especially during the month of ramadan and al-shabaab