US troop presence in Kandahar to be reduced

Lieutenant-Colonel Laurent Fox, a spokesman for US forces, told a January 30 press conference in Kabul that between 2,500 and 3,000 American troops are to pull out of the southern province of Kandahar; He did not give a date, but said the withdrawal could happen this summer. The troops will be replaced by 4,000 British soldiers, which will help maintain security but will not conduct offensive operations. Responding to a question about the capacity of the replacement troops to restore peace and security in the province, the spokesman for NATO-led ISAF forces, Andrew Elmes, said the Afghan National Army would be responsible for defending the border and repelling enemy attacks. “Our task is to support them,” he said.