Afghans blast French plan to withdraw troops
KABUL, Jan 28 (Agencies): France’s plans to withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan a
year early drew harsh words Saturday in the Afghan capital, with critics accusing French President Nicolas Sarkozy of putting his re-election campaign
ahead of Afghans’ safety.
A wider proposal by Sarkozy for NATO to hand over all security to Afghans by the end of next year also came
under fire, with one Afghan lawmaker saying it would be ‘a big mistake’ that would leave security forces unprepared to fight the Taleban
insurgency and threaten a new descent into violence in the 10-year-old war.
Sarkozy’s decision, which came a week after four French
troops were shot dead by an Afghan army trainee suspected of being a Taleban infiltrator, raises new questions about the unity of the U.S.-led
military coalition.
It also reopens the debate over whether setting a deadline for troop withdrawals will allow the Taleban to run out the
clock and seize more territory once foreign forces are gone.
Print Version |
