Apparition
9th June 2010, 03:58 AM
LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- The United States will not abandon Afghanistan and Britain will stay there until there is stability, the two allies' defense secretaries said.
The assurances were given at a news conference Tuesday in London by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Britain's Liam Fox after their meeting, the U.S. Defense Department Web site reported.
Gates said Washington is committed to success in Afghanistan and will not abandon Afghanistan as it did after the Soviet Union was driven out of the country in 1989, the report said.
"I think one of the important messages that we tried to communicate during (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai's (recent) visit to Washington -- and that I think is important for all of us to communicate -- is that we intend, as an alliance and as a large group of nations, to be Afghanistan's partner for a very long time into the future," he said.
Gates said that relationship will be seen beginning next summer, with fewer U.S. forces and more civilian efforts centered on development and building Afghanistan's economy.
Fox said Britain will be committed to Afghanistan until it is stable enough to handle its internal and external security.
"I still believe that there's a national security imperative. I believe that we cannot afford Afghanistan to lapse back into a failed state, which would create a security vacuum which will contaminate the region and possibly well beyond it," Fox said.
The BBC quoted Fox as saying it was unlikely Britain's 8,000 troops in Helmand would be moved to neighboring Kandahar when Canada pulls out next year, a possibility discussed by NATO commanders.
"It is certainly not something that we will be proposing," Fox said, noting the expertise and understanding the British troops have developed in Helmand.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/09/Commitment-in-Afghanistan-stressed/UPI-24501276060540/
How despicable... >:( :puke
The assurances were given at a news conference Tuesday in London by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Britain's Liam Fox after their meeting, the U.S. Defense Department Web site reported.
Gates said Washington is committed to success in Afghanistan and will not abandon Afghanistan as it did after the Soviet Union was driven out of the country in 1989, the report said.
"I think one of the important messages that we tried to communicate during (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai's (recent) visit to Washington -- and that I think is important for all of us to communicate -- is that we intend, as an alliance and as a large group of nations, to be Afghanistan's partner for a very long time into the future," he said.
Gates said that relationship will be seen beginning next summer, with fewer U.S. forces and more civilian efforts centered on development and building Afghanistan's economy.
Fox said Britain will be committed to Afghanistan until it is stable enough to handle its internal and external security.
"I still believe that there's a national security imperative. I believe that we cannot afford Afghanistan to lapse back into a failed state, which would create a security vacuum which will contaminate the region and possibly well beyond it," Fox said.
The BBC quoted Fox as saying it was unlikely Britain's 8,000 troops in Helmand would be moved to neighboring Kandahar when Canada pulls out next year, a possibility discussed by NATO commanders.
"It is certainly not something that we will be proposing," Fox said, noting the expertise and understanding the British troops have developed in Helmand.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/09/Commitment-in-Afghanistan-stressed/UPI-24501276060540/
How despicable... >:( :puke