Afghan minister says NATO could start withdrawal in 4 to 5 years

Nov 12, 2009, 11:32 GMT

   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.

   Guttenberg, who arrived in Kabul Thursday morning on a surprise visit, reaffirmed his country's commitment to Afghanistan. On Wednesday, he called for an international conference to find the way forward in the Afghanistan conflict.

   Asked if Germany would send more troops in addition to its more than 4,000 already in the country, Guttenberg said on Thursday that 'any possible further commitment has to be linked to results.'

   Afghan President Hamid Karzai is under increasing pressure from a host of Western leaders to crack down on widespread corruption in his government.

   Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since 2002, won the fraud-marred presidential elections earlier this month after his main challenger pulled out of a planned runoff, claiming it would not be free and fair.

   Against a background of doubts about how Karzai would tackle the widespread graft in his new administration, US President Barack Obama has been deliberating for weeks with his national security advisers on whether to send tens of thousands of extra US troops to Afghanistan as requested by his top general in the country.

   The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Karl Eikenberry, US ambassador to Kabul, has sent two cables to Washington in recent days, voicing serious concerns about increasing troop commitments until the Afghan government shows that it can fight corruption.

   The Post's report came on the same day as Obama held an eighth meeting in the White House with top aides over the issue but was not expected to make a decision for the next few weeks.

   Reacting to Post's report, Wardak said on Thursday, 'I have checked on that letter, but I think it is not a very reliable source,' adding, 'For me the acceleration of the growth of the Afghan national security forces is the most important issue.'

   US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also joined the chorus on Thursday by calling on Karzai to take more steps to stamp out corruption in the strife-torn country.

   Clinton, who was in Manila for a two-day visit as part of an Asian tour, said that the Afghan government should also 'accept greater responsibility for its own defence.'

   'We are looking for measures of accountability and transparency that will demonstrate a clear commitment to the kind of governance and outcomes that the people of Afghanistan deserve,' she said.

   While public support for the presence of more than 100,000 NATO-led forces has been constantly waning in the Western countries, world leaders have warned Karzai of the end of international support for his government, unless he shows firm steps for reform.

   Afghan analysts said they believe that Karzai, who is due to be sworn in for a second term on November 19, has got only a few weeks to show to his government's Western patrons that he is able to produce a corruption-free government.