Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said it would be best for international troops to leave Afghanistan soon after a bomb blast in Kabul killed six of his country’s soldiers.
Mr Berlusconi insisted yesterday there was no timetable for withdrawal, and said any decision would be made together with Italy’s allies.
The attack, which made it Italy’s deadliest day yet in the conflict, also wounded another four troops.
“We are all convinced it’s best for everybody to get out soon,” Mr Berlusconi said. But he added that Italy is “dealing with an international problem. It’s not a problem that a country that’s present (in Afghanistan) can take on by itself.”
Mr Berlusconi 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.
“We’re obviously anxious to bring our boys home as soon as possible,” he said.
Italy has about 2,800 soldiers in Afghanistan. Yesterday’s victims, part of a contingent deployed in Kabul, bring to 20 the number of Italian troops who have died in Afghanistan.
A majority of Italians already wanted their troops pulled out of Afghanistan before the bombing yesterday, a pollster said today.
In another sign of public impatience with the eight-year-old Afghan mission among Nato members like Britain, Germany and now Italy, the poll showed 58 per cent wanted the troops out and 40 percent believed the mission had become "a war operation".
"These numbers will inevitably rise after the attack in Kabul," said Renato Mannheimer, head of Ispo which carried out the poll last week for Corriere della Seranewspaper.
Countries contributing to the 100,000-strong force are now under pressure from Nato and Washington to stay committed in the face of Taliban violence spreading to zones hitherto far from the combat, such as the west where the Italians are based.
While Mr Berlusconi's conservative government and the main centre-left opposition have been firm supporters of the mission, calls for an immediate troop withdrawal have come from one of his far-right allies and from the far left too.
Until yesterday's attack, there had been little debate about the mission except for Mr Berlusconi's eccentric Northern League ally Umberto Bossi, who wants the soldiers to be "home by Christmas".
Agencies
