British Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for an expedited British withdraw from Afghanistan has some alarmed in Washington, raising concerns for the US-UK bilateral relationship.
Reports in the Telegraph indicate US military officials have warned and threatened that a quick withdraw by the Brits could harm relations between the United States and UK, tainting the famous ‘special relationship’. Cameron has ordered British military leaders to draft plans to start a British withdrawal from so that hundreds of troops may be recalled from Afghanistan within the coming weeks. He hopes for a coordinated withdraw to occur sooner than later. As the UK eyes leaving Afghanistan, many US military leaders are calling for more troops. They fear a UK withdraw will hurt their chances of winning the political battle for more troops if the coalition is fracturing. According to unnamed sources, American generals have threatened British military leaders if they reduce their numbers, one US general reportedly said America would refuse to “bail out” British forces in trouble if they reduce their numbers. It has been inferred that the general was likening a possible UK troop reductions in Afghanistan to reductions made in Iraq which left British troops unable to cope with a rise in Iraqi militant fighters. Both Cameron and US President Barack Obama have called for an earlier end to the Afghan war. US military leaders however want to see troop increases and a longer timetable.