Cameron Says U.K. to Cut Afghan Force by 500 Through 2012
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U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain will withdraw 500 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, reducing the number of soldiers to 9,000.
“We are entering a new phase in which the Afghan forces will do more of the fighting and patrolling and our forces the mentoring and training,” Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London today. “These reductions reflect the progress that is being made in building up the Afghan National Security Forces -- indeed it is worth noting that for every U.S. soldier who leaves as the surge is removed, two Afghans will take their place.”