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Cameron sees Afghan pullout soon

KABUL: British troops may start withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2011, said Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday, during a surprise trip to the country.

Since taking office in May, Mr. Cameron said his government had scaled back British ambitions in Afghanistan and acknowledged the dangers of waning support. He also said British troops would quit their combat role by the end of 2014.

“The whole of NATO ... have signed up to a transition process that starts early next year handing over districts and provinces to Afghan lead control, to be completed by 2014,” he said at a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

On Monday, Mr. Cameron visited the southern Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.

Asked about British withdrawal on Monday, Mr. Cameron said: “I think that it is possible and we'll see that next year. But more importantly is that whole of NATO, not just Britain, the whole of NATO, all of the countries involved here in Afghanistan” — now almost 50 countries plus the Afghan government — “they're saying: Transition starts now and it runs up to 2014.”

At the NATO summit in Lisbon last month, Mr. Cameron said British troops would quit their combat role in Afghanistan by 2015. — AP

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