Dutch pull troops out of Afghanistan, end mission

Combined wire reports

KABUL - The Netherlands became the first NATO country to end its combat mission in Afghanistan, drawing the curtain Sunday on a four-year operation that was deeply unpopular at home and even brought down a Dutch government.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, meanwhile, that only a small number of U.S. troops would leave beginning next July, when the Obama administration's planned troop withdrawal is to start.

The departure of about 1,900 Dutch troops is not expected to affect conditions on the ground. But it is politically significant because it comes at a time of rising casualties and growing doubts about the war in NATO capitals.

Canada has announced it will withdraw its 2,700 troops in 2011 and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has promised to pull out his country's 2,600 soldiers the year after.

That is likely to put pressure on other European governments with larger troop commitments, such as Germany and Britain, to scale back their forces. Such moves would add to the burden shouldered by the United States, which expects to have 100,000 troops here by the end of next month.

Sunday, Gates suggested on ABC's "This Week" that only a small portion of the U.S. force in Afghanistan will begin to return home next year, saying "it will depend on the conditions on the ground."

Gates added: "I think we need to re-emphasize the message that we are not leaving Afghanistan in July of 2011. We are beginning a transition process."

Meanwhile Sunday, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" and NBC's "Meet The Press" that the Pentagon is trying to protect Afghans who may be at risk from Taliban retaliation following the publication of classified war documents on the Wikileaks website.