Al Qaeda may return after Afghan pullout, British PM warned

Terror outfit Al Qaeda may return to Afghanistan and the country's future could be jeopardised if NATO-led foreign troops are withdrawn too quickly, military commanders have warned British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Cameron has been told that the current plan to hand control of the Afghan security to the country's forces in 2013 may need to be "diluted", the Telegraph reported Sunday.British commanders believe the Afghan National Security Forces, the army and police are not yet fully capable of taking over from international forces. Under current plans, the ANSF is supposed to take over responsibility by the middle of 2013 and the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) will be withdrawn from combat operations by the end of 2014.The timing has been agreed to by Cameron and US President Barack Obama.Britain's current deployment of 9,000 soldiers would be reduced significantly next year, and after 2014, only a small number of British troops would remain in Afghanistan, mostly as advisers to the Afghan military.

However, Cameron has now been advised that there are "significant fears" over the quality and ability of Afghan troops.

The fears relayed by senior officers include the level of desertions, the growing number of attacks on Western forces and corruption within the Afghan police. (...)