US Senator Insists: Troops Withdrawal Should be Very Modest

Veteran US Republican Senator John McCain insists that drawdown of American troops from Afghanistan next month must be "very modest" and not include combat troops.

"I'm in exact agreement with (US Defense) Secretary (Robert) Gates that it should be very modest," AFP quoted McCain as saying on Thursday.

On Saturday, Gates said that a "modest" number of American troops could be withdrawn from Afghanistan next month. McCain, a former military pilot and war prisoner during the US war on Vietnam, also emphasized that troops should remain in Afghanistan to fight militancy in eastern part of the country.

"We still have the eastern part of Afghanistan to do, that will require some more time," the member of the Senate Armed Services Committee added.

The senator claimed that US troops have made progress in providing security in southern Afghanistan, the heartland of Taliban militants. However, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry, a democrat, has called for a reduction of the US military role in Afghanistan.

"Our current commitment, in troops and dollars, is neither proportional to our interests nor sustainable," Kerry said.

Washington is set to begin a minor withdrawal of troops in July. However, there is a widening rift between US military commanders and the White House over the size of the initial withdrawal.