UK to 'withdraw from Afghanistan in 6 years'

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

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The head of the UK army says the war in Afghanistan will come to an end next year and British troops could be pulled out the country within six years.

In an interview published Saturday in the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph, General Sir David Richards said that coalition forces had reached a "turning point" in the battle against the Taliban, thanks to the recent NATO-led operation in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan against the Taliban.

He added that the current 10,000-strong British force could be reduced from next year and the majority could leave the country within the next five years.

"The combat role will start to decline in 2011, but we will remain militarily engaged in training and support roles for another five years," he said.

The General's comments come as he had warned, just seven months ago, that Britain could be involved in Afghanistan for up to 40 years. The head of the British army added at that time that the British forces will remain in a support role for many years to come.

Whilst acknowledging the public pressure to pull out British forces from Afghanistan, he stressed the importance of defeating the Taliban.

"I do not think we can afford to fail in Afghanistan," he said in the interview.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=119616§ionid=351020403.