Afstan: Rush to the exits?

Two views:

1) The British chief of the general staff:

Britain's new army chief warned Thursday that failure in Afghanistan would alienate millions of Afghans, lead to a resurgence of al-Qaida inspired terrorism and destabilize neighboring Pakistan.

Speaking at London's Chatham House, Gen. David Richards [ISAF commander 2006-2007, "a period that included NATO/ISAF expansion across the south and east of Afghanistan"--after the Canadian deployment to Kandahar] warned that failure would have a "hugely intoxicating impact on extremists worldwide of the perceived defeat of the USA and NATO, the most powerful alliance in the history of the world and the debilitating impact on these countries [more on that here]."..

2) The Italian prime minister:

Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday it would be best for international troops to leave Afghanistan soon, after a bomb blast in Kabul killed six Italian soldiers in Italy's deadliest day yet in the conflict.

Berlusconi insisted there was no timetable for withdrawal, and said any decision would be made together with Italy's allies. The explosion also wounded four Italian soldiers.

"We are all convinced it's best for everybody to get out soon," Berlusconi told reporters in Brussels. His comments were carried on Italian state TV.

But he quickly added that Italy is "dealing with an international problem. It's not a problem that that a country that's present (in Afghanistan) can take on by itself, irrevocably. That would betray the agreement and trust with the other countries" in the mission.

The premier said Italy had already planned on bringing home some 400-500 soldiers, referring to extra troops who had beefed up Italy's contingent for the recent Afghan elections...