NATO warned Monday that its mission in Afghanistan was far from over despite the death of Osama bin Laden as war-weary Europeans pile pressure on governments to bring troops home quickly. World leaders hailed bin Laden’s killing Sunday by US commandos inside Pakistan as a victory against Al-Qaeda, but they also warned that the battle against terrorism was far from over.
“As terrorism continues to pose a direct threat to our security and international stability, international cooperation remains key and NATO is at the heart of that cooperation,” said NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen. “NATO allies and partners will continue their mission to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for extremism, but develops in peace and security,” he said.
Francois Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, said calls in Europe for troop withdrawals will only grow after bin Laden’s death. “If we are looking for an exit door, it is now or never,” Heisbourg said.”Politically and strategically, the intervention in Afghanistan was at the start about bin Laden.
