NATO head envisages gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan

Aug 31, 2010, 14:41 GMT

Copenhagen - The government of Afghanistan will as of 2011 gradually begin to take charge of security in the country, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday during a visit to his native Denmark.

'The process is not ruled by a timetable,' Rasmussen told reporters, adding that the aim - also expressed by the president of Afghanistan - was that Kabul would take charge of security by 2014.

Rasmussen's remarks were made during his first official visit to Denmark since he last year stepped down as prime minister to become NATO secretary general.

A decision on this overall aim could hopefully be taken at an upcoming NATO summit to be held in Portugal in November, Rasmussen said.

'The message to the Taliban is that they can't just wait for NATO to pull out. We will pull out only when the Afghan government is ready to take on the task,' Rasmussen said.

In 2011, Rasmussen said he hoped Afghanistan has 300,000 trained soldiers.

Rasmussen's successor as prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said he hoped the new NATO strategy being discussed would ensure that NATO will allow for the military alliance to tackle threats also outside its geographical spread.

Denmark also wants to promote more cooperation with civilian partners, Lokke Rasmussen added.

Several NATO countries have mentioned dates for withdrawing from Afghanistan, and in early August the Netherlands began pulling out its forces.

Denmark has recorded over 30 deaths among its forces that are mainly in the restive Helmand province.