The dynamic that has brought Pakistan-US relations to this point arguably began on December 1, 2009, when President Barack Obama, announcing a surge in the number of US troops in Afghanistan, also indicated his intention to start pulling back American troops beginning in July 2011 – a pledge that he reiterated two months ago. This alerted Pakistan to the fact that, with the imminent departure of US troops, it would be left alone to fight the insurgency on both sides of its border with Afghanistan.