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Nato combat role in Afghanistan to end next year, Leon Panetta says
Nato forces aim to step away from the front lines in Afghanistan in the middle of next year and focus on training Afghan troops ahead of a complete withdrawal by 2015, US defence secretary Leon Panetta said today. Speaking ahead of a summit with fellow defence ministers in Brussels, Mr Panetta said he believed international troops could end their combat role by the end of 2013, bringing a close to the decade-long engagement in Afghanistan. "Hopefully by the mid to latter part of 2013 we'll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role," he told the Associated Press, adding that Nato troops would remain "combat-ready" in the event of a Taliban surge. Britain and the United States, whose troops make up the overwhelming majority of the International Security Assistance Force, have previously said that all troops would withdraw by 2015 but Mr Panetta's comments are the first indication of when they could step away from the fiercest fighting. He would not comment on whether the transition from fighting to training in late 2013 would mean a faster withdrawal of US troops. There are currently 91,000 American soldiers in Afghanistan, scheduled to be reduced to 68,000 by September. Mr Panetta said next year would be critical for the success of the international mission in Afghanistan, noting that key provinces are scheduled to be transferred to the control of the Afghan security forces. His comments came after a week in which France urged Nato to end its mission by the end next year, 12 months earlier than previously agreed. Posted by: tipper 2012-02-01 |
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