Vote for quicker troop withdrawal

The US Senate has voted to accelerate the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

The 62-33 vote today reflected the nation’s war-weariness after more than a decade of fighting.

Although the vote was for a non-binding amendment to a defence bill, it sent a strong signal about the conflict.

It also set the stage for a fight with the House, which passed a bill in May that calls for President Barack Obama to maintain a force of at least 68,000 troops until the end of 2014.

The House and Senate will have to reconcile their competing versions of the defence policy bill.