Italy plans to withdraw its 3,100 troops from Afghanistan.

This is no doubt politically motivated and partly a result of six Italian troops being killed just recently. The withdrawal is just one more bit of bad news for Obama who is struggling to get any help from NATO allies. In NATO countries involved the war is for the most part even more unpopular than in the U.S. so politicians are quite reluctant to face the political backlash if they offer help. Canada also intends to withdraw from any combat role in 2011 even though our prime minister is a conservative":

""Italian Prime Minister Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi, at today's European Union summit in Brussels, announces plans to withdraw Italy's 3,100 troops from Afghanistan.

At his arrival to the extraordinary European summit tonight in Brussels, Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, declared that Italy wants to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan "as soon as possible" but will not take the decision unilaterally.

We are all anxious and hopeful to bring our boys home as soon as possible, Berlusconi told reporters after six Italian troops were killed by a suicide car bomber in Kabul.

We are all convinced that it's better for everyone to leave Afghanistan soon, he added.

He said Italy was already planning a "strong reduction" in its approximately 3,100 troops in Afghanistan, and would proceed in that direction. ""