Afghan minister says NATO could start withdrawal in 4 to 5 years (by his leave)

[bigtree]

Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Kabul - Afghan Defence Minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak, said Thursday that NATO-led international troops could start a "gradual withdrawal" from Afghanistan in four to five years if the size and training of indigenous forces are boosted. "Since 2002 I have been saying repeatedly that the only sustainable way to secure Afghanistan is to enable the Afghans themselves," Wardak told reporters in Kabul, while standing alongside his German counterpart, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

"I hope that in the next four, five years the international forces would transform into a mentoring and supporting role and the situation will allow a gradual withdrawal of the international forces," Wardak said.

But he cautioned that such a scenario would not be possible unless the international community agreed to increase the size of the Afghan forces and "help us accelerate the growth of the Afghan national security forces both in quality and in quantity."

Wardak did not give any figures for the new military size. However, Afghan officials in the past have said that country's military strength has to be nearly doubled from the current goal of more than 200,000 Afghan army and police for them to take over security responsibility from NATO forces.


read: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/294402,afghan-minister-says-nato-could-start-withdrawal-in-4-to.html

[unhappycamper]

1. Good luck with that.

I guess they need to keep the US money spigot flowing until the Afghans revolt.

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. Yeah. He'll be able to put away a nice tidy sum in........

4 to 5 years then disappear.
Suckers.

[Turbineguy]

3. Saving for a nice

retirement on the Cote d' Azur?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. In 5 years, he'll be living in his villa in Monaco complaining about being shortchanged by the CIA

[Sinti]

5. Yep, if he's still useful

If not he'll be enjoying his retirement package with smiley bonus in the hereafter.