Russia said Wednesday the United States will need to seek approval from the United Nations before it can withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan.

The foreign ministry's chief spokesman said Russia "took note" of President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw 33,000 surge troops by the end of next summer -- about one third of the entire US force.

"As for a full drawdown of the international presence in Afghanistan, it should be conducted in accordance with a resolution on the UN Security Council," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Lukashevich said this would be consistent "with the mandate by which the international peacekeeping forces were deployed in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan".

Russia has a painful history in Afghanistan after losing a brutal war there in the 1980s and fears that local Islamic insurgents could develop bases across the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and southern Russian territories.

Moscow has allowed NATO troops to transfer non-combat equipment across its territory for the campaign but also fears a more permanent US presence in the energy-rich Central Asian region.

Czech Republic to reduce Afghanistan force
Prague (AFP) June 29, 2011 - The Czech Republic plans to withdraw around a quarter of its 720 soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan by the second half of 2012, Army Chief of Staff Vlastimil Picek said Wednesday.

The Czech force presence in Afghanistan will be reduced to 520 troops through the second half of 2012, Picek told journalists, adding that a helicopter squad and special forces unit will also be recalled.

Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra at the same briefing said that the helicopters needed general repairs.

Most Czech soldiers deployed in Afghanistan work as members of a reconstruction team in the eastern Logar province.

Vondra said that after the withdrawal, "the Czech Republic will be replaced by another country, for one year at least".

US President Barack Obama has announced plans to withdraw 33,000 troops by the end of September 2012, with the first 10,000 due to depart this year.

Obama justified the drawdown by saying the war aims he set in 2009 had been largely met.

The United States and NATO hope to fully transfer all security responsibilities to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

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