Rome, September 18: Prime Minister Silvia Berlusconi says Rome wants to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible in the face of rising Italian causalities in the war-ravage country.
“We are all convinced it’s best for everybody to get out soon,” Berlusconi told reporters in Brussels.
The premier remarks were carried on Italian state TV.
The premier said Italy had already planned on bringing home some 400-500 soldiers.
The extra troops were beefed up Italy’s contingent for the recent presidential elections in the war-ravaged country, according to Times Online edition.
Italy has about 2,800 soldiers in Afghanistan. According to the official figures, 21 Italian troops have been killed in Afghanistan.
“We’re obviously anxious to bring our boys home as soon as possible,” he said.
However, the premier did not announce any timetable for withdrawal, saying that decision would be made with Italy’s allies.
The comments came after a bomb blast killed at least six Italian soldiers and wounded three more in the Afghan capital Kabul.
At least ten Afghan civilians were also killed and more than 50 others injured in the car-bombing which was apparently targeting NATO vehicles.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. In a separate incident, a roadside bomb killed at least one Canadian soldier and wounded 11 people in the southern province of Kandahar.
The top US General David Petraeus on Thursday acknowledged that violence was getting worse across the violence-wracked country.
Foreign troops’ casualties in Afghanistan are at record levels, with at least 365 deaths reported in 2009, and the mounting number of Western soldiers coming home in body bags has sent support for the war plummeting in Europe and the United States.
Despite the presence of over 101,000 US-led troops in the war-torn country, Afghanistan is experiencing the highest level of violence it’s seen since the 2001 invasion.
Civilian deaths and military causalities have increased pressure on the US and its European allies to pull out troops from Afghanistan.
—–Agencies