Nato chief: Afghanistan timetable puts British troops at risk - Telegraph

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary-general, delivered the blunt message after the Prime Minister said he wanted most British troops to leave Afghanistan by 2015.

Warning that the Taliban follow political debates in Nato countries “closely”, Mr Rasmussen insisted that Western nations must keep troops in Afghanistan “as long as necessary” and not set clear timelines for withdrawal.

“The Taliban follow the political debate in troop-contributing countries closely. They do believe that if we set artificial timetables for our withdrawal, they can just sit down and wait us out and they will return when we have left,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“If they discover that through their attacks, they can weaken the support for our presence in Afghanistan, they will just be encouraged to step up their attacks on foreign troops.”

He said: “If we were to leave Afghanistan prematurely, the Taliban would return to Afghanistan and Afghanistan would once again become a safe have for terrorist groups who would use it as a launch pad for terrorist attacks on North America and Europe. .... - Afghanistan timetable 'puts British troops at risk'

Life on a British base in Sangin, Afghanistan
NATO chief says pullout plans put troops at risk Reuters