Cameron 'Agrees' with Obama's Afghan Strategy
British leader David Cameron "fully agreed" with US President Barack Obama that "sustained pressure" could be applied to Afghan insurgents despite a troop cutback, his office said Thursday.
In a call made hours before Obama announced the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops from the war-torn nation, Cameron reaffirmed to the US leader that Britain would remove all of its combat troops by 2015.
Obama briefed Cameron on the latest situation on the ground and "the implications for the timing of the withdrawal of the U.S. surge," according to a Downing Street statement.
"The prime minister fully agreed (with) the president's assessment, noting the good progress being made on security transition," continued the statement.
The pair "agreed that in due course the progress on transition would make it possible to sustain pressure on the insurgency while allowing a progressive reduction in International Security Assistance Force levels," it added.
Obama announced that all 33,000 U.S. surge troops would be withdrawn by "next summer" as a result of progress in the war against Taliban insurgents.
In a televised address from the White House, the president said "we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 by next summer."
Obama ordered the surge in December 2009 in a bid to reverse fortunes in the war, which began in 2001.
Cameron "reaffirmed that UK forces will no longer be in a combat role in Afghanistan by 2015" in a pointed response to senior British military figures who this week voiced fears that the draw down was being rushed.
On an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Wednesday pledged that his country would be a "friend for the long-term" to Afghanistan, but echoed his leader's vow to bring back combat troops.
"By 2015, we will not have troops here in a combat role or anything like their present numbers but we will be a friend for the long-term with our expertise, our economic cooperation and development aid," he told a news conference in Kabul.
The former Conservative party leader also revealed that Britain was involved in a dialogue with the Taliban.
"Talks do happen with the Taliban, let me put it that way," Hague told The Sun newspaper.
"We are connected to what happens, we will assist where we can and we are strongly supportive of it," he added.
Hague was on a joint three-day visit to Afghanistan with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Britain is the second-largest contributor of foreign troops in Afghanistan, with some 9,500, mainly in the south.
Head of the British army General Peter Wall on Wednesday cast doubt on Cameron's 2015 deadline during an interview for BBC documentary "Afghanistan: War Without End?"
"Whether or not it turns out to be an absolute timeline or more conditions-based approach nearer the time, we shall find out," Chief of the General Staff Wall said.
Meanwhile, former army chief Richard Dannatt warned Cameron not to be tempted to accelerate the withdrawal by Obama's announcement.
"Obama may wish to withdraw troops for his domestic political purposes but I am quite sure our prime minister will not fall into the same trap," the former soldier told Wednesday's The Times.
"He will not want to risk the investment in blood and treasure just for a domestic political agenda," he added.
Source: Agence France Presse
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