Pakistan asks coalition not to leave Afghanistan in haste

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 01 (AFP): Pakistan warned the US-led coalition on Thursday against a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, expressing renewed concern about growing instability on its militant-infested border.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan is Washington's ally on the frontline of the war against Al-Qaeda and under mounting US pressure to crack down on Islamist militants who use its soil to launch attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"The decision to leave Afghanistan should be taken when it is able to look after itself effectively," Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told a press briefing.
Pakistan enters 2010 after a year of rising casualties and worsening Taliban attacks in its cities and northwest, which have killed 2,800 people in 29 months, according to an AFP tally.
Washington is urging Pakistan to take action on militant strongholds along its border, but US President Barack Obama unnerved many officials by vowing to begin drawing down US forces in Afghanistan in July 2011.
"Coalition forces should not leave Afghanistan in haste," Basit said.