Dutch to Leave Afghanistan

One day after the Dutch Cabinet collapsed, the country’s prime minister has announced that he expects the Netherlands to pull out all its troops from Afghanistan in August. The Dutch parliament had voted for the August pullout last October.

One Afghan official told the BBC that a withdrawal would leave a “big vacuum” in training, construction and security operations that the Dutch are involved in. —JCL

The BBC:

A day after his cabinet collapsed, the Dutch prime minister says he expects Dutch troops to end their mission in Afghanistan in August as expected.

“If nothing else will take its place, then it ends,” Jan Peter Balkenende told Dutch television.

The cabinet fell after the two largest parties failed to agree on a Nato request to extend the tour of the almost 2,000-strong Dutch contingent.

A Nato spokesman said it would provide support to Afghans whatever happened.

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Flickr / Randy83

A Dutch F-16 takes off at Kandahar, Afghanistan.