[Blitzer:] In Syria, dozens of people reportedly were killed in a northern city today, the third straight day of violence there. State television blaming attacks by armed gangs for the death of 120 security forces. Opposition groups say civilians were killed as well. CNN can't verify reports because the government has restricted access to Syria. They will not allow international journalists into the country. New urgency and uncertainty, meanwhile, over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Today, the White House says President Obama hasn't decided on the size and the scope of the pullout due to begin next month. But he's under enormous pressure to bring more American troops home as soon as possible to save lives, to save money, especially now that Osama bin Laden is dead. Let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. He's working this important story for us. What's the latest, Chris?
[Chris Lawrence, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, the latest is that the number of troops coming home from Afghanistan in July, that announcement initially thought to only be minimum, maybe 3,000 to 4,000 would get announced. But now there's a growing pressure to make that number bigger and to bring the troops home faster.
[Lawrence:] There's a fight about to go down that could impact every soldier and Marine fighting in Afghanistan. On one side, those that say starting next month, President Obama should bring a significant number of troops home faster. The other side arguing it's too risky.
[Robert Gates, Defense Secretary:] Nobody wants to give up the gains that have been won at such a hard cost.
[Lawrence:] Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan. He favors a staggered drawdown and urged officials to keep combat troops as long as possible.
[Gates:] I would opt to keep the shooters and take the support out first. But the numbers are such that it's going to have to be both.
[Lawrence:] In 2009, President Obama sent another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. But it's not 2009. The national debt has soared. There's political pressure to make spending cuts. And it costs $1 million per man to fight in Afghanistan.
[Caroline Wadhams, Center For American Progress:] We are spending about $120 billion per year, $10 billion per month, and we there's no end in sight.
[Lawrence:] And the head of al Qaeda is dead. Some see what intelligence agents and a Special Operations team were able to accomplish as proof a smaller strategy can work.
[Wadhams:] I think that the counterterrorism proponents, people who want a more reduced presence, their voices are more powerful now, they're getting more traction.
[Lawrence:] That includes Vice President Joe Biden, who opposed the surge. He lost that argument to Gates two years ago. But look at this Biden is still here. And the new national security adviser, Tom Donilon, was said to be leery of the surge, too. Leon Panetta will likely replace Gates, and his time running the CIA has shown him what drones can do without huge numbers of troops. General David Petraeus will no longer be in the military when he shifts over to the CIA. The secretary of state sided with Gates then, but on withdrawing troops, she has not tipped her hand on what she thinks now.
[Hillary Clinton, Secretary Of State:] Because we are still gathering our best assessment.
[Lawrence:] Now, President Obama will have a video conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday. I'm sure troop withdrawals will be a part of that discussion. Also, Gates isn't going just yet. He will be back from Afghanistan, and he said that's when the real talks will get down to the nitty- gritty of trying to decide and make recommendations to the president on this number. So he's going to get at least one more chance to weigh in Wolf.
[Blitzer:] A hundred and fifteen billion dollars this year alone, and more that $2 billion a week to keep all those troops in Afghanistan. Obviously, the financial stake is enormous right now as well. By the way thank you, Chris. Thanks very much.
[Lawrence:] You're welcome.
[Blitzer:] You can read more of my thoughts on the Afghan troop withdrawal at our new SITUATION ROOM blog, cNN.comsituationroom. Check it out. A new series of explosions across Iraq today. At least 25 people were killed, including five U.S. troops. Iraqi officials say the Americans were sleeping in trailers at their base in Baghdad when a suicide bomber struck. The attacks coincide with a deadline set for Iraqi cabinet ministers to make reforms or be fired. This violence is renewing questions about Iraqi security once almost all U.S. troops withdraw at the end of the year. About 50,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq right now, but they are all supposed to be out by the end of the year. It was one of the most shocking and bizarre news conferences we've seen in a while. We're talking about Congressman Anthony Weiner. We'll bring it to you at the top of the hour, extended excerpts. Stand by in case you missed it. And the race for a cure as a super deadly toxic strain of E. coli keeps spreading.