NATO Will Back Gradual Troop Withdrawal

NATO leaders are expected to announce Friday that they’ll back a plan to remove most of the 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan within four years—even if that country isn’t ready to defend itself. At NATO’s two-day summit in Lisbon, 28 leaders of NATO countries and their allies will formally endorse a timetable for Afghan security forces to begin to take over next year, and to have all NATO troops out by 2014. British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to have all of his country’s forces out by 2015. President Obama has said he will be begin withdrawing American forces as soon as next July.