Updated on
Summary Afghan forces are ready to take responsibility for security in 2013, defence ministry said Monday.
The statement came in a reaction to a pledge to withdraw French troops early made by president-elect Francois Hollande.For us a NATO stance is more important than individual decisions by individual nations, ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP. And Afghanistan is well prepared to take over all security responsibilities in 2013.Hollande made a campaign promise to pull French soldiers out of Afghanistan this year, ending his countrys combat role two years earlier than NATOs carefully crafted plan to hand security control to Afghans by 2014.I believe that, without taking any risks for our troops, it is the right thing to withdraw our combat troops by the end of 2012, Hollande said last week.A senior Afghan defence official, however, told AFP that a withdrawal would be premature and the pledge appeared to have been aimed at a French audience.From a military point of view I think its not practical to withdraw troops within whats left of 2012, the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue.I think it was rather an election compaign promise than a practical decision. They wont withdraw this year, he said.Hollande is to meet fellow NATO leaders at a summit hosted by US President Barack Obama in Chicago on May 20-21, just days after his oath of office.NATO military officials said the alliance had already made contingency plans in the event that Socialist candidate Hollande defeated right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy.Nevertheless, a diplomat acknowledged that the new leaders stance was not warmly welcomed at alliance headquarters.NATO has some 130,000 troops in Afghanistan helping the government of President Hamid Karzai fight an insurgency by Taliban militants ousted from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.
