About 650 soldiers from the Iowa National Guard left the province of Parwan this week. A force of less than half that size will now take over security duties in the region.
Major combat units are not expected to start leaving until late this fall.
President Barack Obama announced last month that 10,000 troops will pull out this year, with the remaining 23,000 leaving by summer of next year.
That still will leave a force of about 70,000 in the country, and the White House is indicating that U.S. forces will remain in Afghanistan for years.
An Exclusive Eyewitness News poll conducted by SurveyUSA asked /*Californians*/: Is the president withdrawing troops too fast? Not fast enough? Or is the president's timetable just right?
Twenty-three percent said too fast, 34 percent said not fast enough, 39 percent said the timetable is just right and 5 percent said not sure.
