US warns against Afghan withdrawal

Robert Gates calls for on-going commitment from coalition countries as Pentagon set to withdraw as few as 2,000 troops The Obama administration has begun to lower expectations of a significant withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in July and warned European allies against pulling out their forces too soon. Speaking at a meeting of the 48 countries contributing troops to Afghanistan, the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, expressed concern that some European countries were talking too much about leaving rather than finishing the job. Gates, who was in Afghanistan earlier this week as part of an assessment of how many US troops could be withdrawn in July, said he was worried that security gains in Afghanistan “could be threatened by ill-timed, precipitous or unco-ordinated national drawdown” by countries contributing troops. When Barack Obama announced in December 2009 an increase in the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 70,000 to 100,000 , he wrung a promise from the Pentagon that a withdrawal would begin in July this year. Facing an election next year for a second presidential term, there was an expectation he would seek a headline-grabbing figure such as 20,000 to signal to the American public that the exit was in sight. But the Pentagon is likely to recommend a figure closer to 2,000 than 20,000. With troops spread over a wide geographical area and facing a Taliban offensive in the spring and summer, the US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, is looking for a limited withdrawal. This is possible because Afghanistan is not a major political issue in the US and does not arouse the same passions as Iraq. Speaking at Nato headquarters on Friday, Gates told other defence ministers there was a need for unity and commitment to maintain progress in Afghanistan. “Unfortunately, some recent rhetoric coming from capitals on this continent is calling into question that resolve. Frankly, there is too much talk about leaving and not enough talk about getting the job done right,” Gates told his fellow defence ministers. “Too much discussion of exit and not enough discussion about continuing the fight. Too much concern about when and how many troops might redeploy, and not enough about what needs to be done before they leave.” Gates did not specify which capitals he had in mind. Politicians in Poland, Denmark, Germany and Italy have spoken about troop withdrawals. The warning from Gates reflects US concern that European countries will use the July withdrawal as an opportunity to make their own reductions. The US does not want a repeat of Iraq, where coalition partners drew out early, leaving America on its own. Poland is due to pull out its 2,600 troops by 2012, Canada is set to withdraw its 2,900 troops by the end of the year and Denmark, with 748 troops, is due to cut about 100. All US and allied combat troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by 2014. Although David Cameron expressed hopes in December of early withdrawals of British troops, Britain was not among the countries targeted by Gates in his remarks. It is not unusual for US defence and diplomatic leaders to visit Europe and criticise allies for failing to provide more troops, helicopters or financial support. But Gates was blunter than usual. Due to retire later this year, he has been increasingly outspoken, in Washington as well as overseas. The meeting was closed to the press but the Pentagon provided a transcript of Gates’s comments. “Thanks to the progress we have made, we are setting the right circumstances to begin to reduce some of those US surge forces in July 2011, but will do that based on conditions on the ground and in co-ordination with Nato. We will not sacrifice the significant gains made to date, or the lives lost, for a political gesture,” he said. “In return, we expect the same from your nations. Let me be clear – unco-ordinated national drawdowns would risk the gains made to date. Considerations about any drawdown of forces must be driven by security conditions and the Isaf [International Security Assistance Force] commander’s [Petraeus's] operational needs, and not by mathematical calculation shaped by political concerns.” He called for the countries at the meeting to raise €1bn (£862m) annually to support the Afghan security forces. US military Afghanistan US foreign policy Military United States Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 11, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.