The United States and its 27 NATO allies closed ranks Wednesday to ensure an orderly troop withdrawal from Afghanistan over the next two years as Australia became the latest nation to declare its pullout. Foreign and defence ministers met in Brussels for rare talks to discuss Afghan strategy and the size and funding of Afghan security forces once foreign combat troops have left.
The talks aimed at preparing a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21 follow a weekend Taliban onslaught in Kabul that underscored the insurgency’s resiliency even as officials insist that militants are on the backfoot.
Afghan forces are gradually taking over control of security in the country, with the goal of being in the lead nationwide next year to enable most of the 130,000 foreign troops to leave by the end of 2014. But Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Tuesday that she would bring home 1,550 troops a year earlier than planned, with most soldiers withdrawn in 2013 after significant security gains over the past 18 months. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted that Australia’s announcement was “fully within the framework” of the transition agreed by nations contributing to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). “All 50 allies and partners within the ISAF coalition have committed themselves to the basic principle of, ‘in together, out together.’ And I know that the Australians are committed to that principle as well,” Rasmussen said. But German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere said he was “surprised” by Gillard’s announcement, saying that his Australian counterpart had declared “something different” during alliance talks in February. Another major contributor in Afghanistan, France, may also review its pullout. France’s right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy announced earlier this year that French troops would switch from a combat to a support role in 2013.
