No sudden changes in Afghan withdrawal: Obama

He and British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed not to give up the mission.A string of recent incidents, including a massacre of Afghan civilians by a US soldier on Sunday, and deep public fatigue with the war, have prompted speculation that the pace of troop withdrawals could be speeded up.But Obama, confirming that NATO planned to transition to a support role in Afghanistan in 2013, before a full withdrawal in 2014, said his existing plan -- to bring home an additional 23,000 troops this summer -- still stood.I dont anticipate at this stage that were going to be making any sudden additional changes to the plan that we currently have, Obama said at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden with Cameron.Obama promised a robust coalition presence in Afghanistan during this years fighting season to stop the Taliban regaining momentum, but left open the option of looking at the size of the foreign troop footprint after that.Both leaders insisted the painful sacrifices endured by both their militaries had been justified by the rout of Al-Qaeda, which had prevented terror plots against their countries.--AFP