Nato 'won't leave security vacuum' in Afghan transition

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed President Hamid Karzai's announcement of the first areas where Afghan troops will assume control from Nato-led forces this summer, with the ultimate goal of leading nationwide by 2014.
"I want to congratulate the president for taking this critical decision which paves the way for Afghans to take charge of their own destiny," Mr Rasmussen said.
"This represents the next stage of Afghanistan's journey, not the destination. And every step of the way will be determined by conditions on the ground," he said.
Mr Rasmussen urged members of the 48-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to maintain "solidarity and continuity" during the three-year transition period, which allies approved at a summit in November.
"I understand that as this transition gets under way, political leaders are facing pressure to bring their troops home for good. No one wants our forces to be in combat a day longer than necessary," he said."But it is vital that we maintain solidarity and continuity in order to ensure that transition is irreversible. And in particular, that we gradually transfer our troops from combat roles to training," Mr Rasmussen said.
He added: "Within the ISAF mission, our approach remains 'in together, out together.' We are committed not to leave any security vacuum that could breed extremism. We look forward to this new Afghan year with confidence and hope."
During a meeting of Nato defence ministers last week, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned allies against early troop withdrawals, saying it would jeopardise the war effort just as the Taliban has lost the upper hand.
Out of the roughly 140,000 troops in the Nato-led force in Afghanistan, 97,000 are American, with the war costing the United States $10 billion a month.