Kerry: US to start $5 billion anti-terrorist fund

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry said today the United States is setting up a $5 billion "terrorism partnership fund" to help other countries push back against radical extremists.

Appearing on a host of network morning-show interviews, Kerry staunchly defended President Barack Obama's decision to terminate the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Referring in an NBC "Today" show interview to a speech Obama was set to give later today at the U.S. Military Academy, Kerry said Obama is telling the Afghans "by a specific time they have to take over management of their own security and military."

The secretary said the message to Afghanistan is "we're not going to give you all the time in the world. You have to push the envelope."

"This is not an abandonment of Afghanistan," Kerry said. "This is an emboldenment. This is an empowerment of Afghanistan."