Dutch Troop Pullout May Be Unavoidable

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

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A Dutch troop pullout from Afghanistan appears unavoidable and there is concern other NATO members may follow suit, military analysts said.

The Dutch developments come with the collapse of the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, stemming from disagreement over extending the troop deployment in Afghanistan.

"If the Dutch go, which is the implication of all this, that could open the floodgates for other Europeans to say, 'The Dutch are going, we can go, too,'" Professor Julian Lindley-French at the Netherlands Defense Academy told The New York Times. "The implications are that the U.S. and the British are going to take on more of the load."

The prime minister conceded he cannot prevent the troops from being withdrawn this year following the political development in his country, The Times of London reported.

"Our task as the lead nation (in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province) ends in August," Balkenende was quoted as saying -- meaning all 1,950 Dutch troops would be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2010.

The report said governments in other NATO member nations are faced with rising public opinion turning against the Afghan war. Among them, Canada has suffered the highest percentage of casualties and is committed to withdrawing its 2,800 troops by the end of next year.

The government of Australia, which has 1,000 troops, is not willing to take charge in Uruzgan after the Dutch troops leave, the London Times report said. France already has refused to send more and Germany is still debating the issue.

Uruzgan Gov. Asadullah Hamdam was quoted as telling the BBC a Dutch pullout would affect peace and reconstruction efforts in his province. The troops may be replaced by U.S. troops but that would affect the operation against the Taliban elsewhere.

Source: OfficialWire.
Link: http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=100544&catid=855.