BRITISH troops could be pulled out of Afghanistan sooner than planned if allies such as the US began to speed up the withdrawal of their own forces, Philip Hammond admitted.
The Defence Secretary made clear he did not want UK forces to be "left out on a limb".
He also confirmed that some of the £4 billion-worth of the armed forces's military hardware was being brought home.
Only last week, Downing Street bolstered speculation that ministers have been privately pushing for an accelerated exit in 2013, a year earlier than planned.
The current Ministry of Defence strategy is to withdraw the bulk of Britain's 9500 deployment in Helmand from their frontline role by the end of 2014 yet reports have suggested ministers, led by Chancellor George Osborne, are locked in intense discussions with military chiefs over their desire to see a withdrawal by the end of next year – saving the Coalition £3bn.
Yesterday, Mr Hammond said no decisions had yet been made on the drawdown of UK troops between this autumn, when force numbers would fall to 9000, and the end of 2014.
"That's something we will look at towards the end of this year when we understand better what our allies are planning to do. It's very important we draw down in tandem with our allies."
He ruled out a major withdrawal before the middle of 2013 but left open the option of one before the end of 2013 – 12 months before the current plan.
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