ROME - Italy is considering pulling its troops out of Afghanistan within a year, a senior defense ministry source said on Monday, following reports the United States may cut back its own military presence. The source told a group of journalists that Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta had demanded that military command should start initial planning for a full withdrawal of the Italian contingent in Afghanistan. 'The timeframe could be 12 months,' the source said. Italy has had a military presence in Afghanistan for more than 15 years and, according to the Defence Ministry, is committed at present to having 900 troops there as part of a NATO-led mission.
