Reaction Mixed in London to US Plans for Afghanistan

June 23, 2011British troops in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan more quickly than expected reverberated Thursday in Europe, where many governments and some citizens also are eager to see their involvement in the nearly 10-year-old war come to an end

.

The president’s announcement was not front page news in most British newspapers, but one that did cover the decision called it a gamble and a retreat.

On a visit to Afghanistan, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the president’s decision is in line with British government thinking, and with its plan to withdraw 400 of its nearly 10,000 troops by February, and likely more after that.

“We will continue to assess the number of British forces required, based on the condition on the ground, but of course leading to a point by 2015 where we will not have combat troops fighting in Afghanistan or in anything like the numbers they are today," said Hague.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed President Obama’s decision.

“The United States took the bold decision to increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan by 30,000," said Fogh Rasmussen. "Other allies and partners stepped up and provided an additional 10,000 troops, and together those troops were part of an international effort to turn the tide in Afghanistan. And now the tide is turning.”