Pope says Afghan withdrawal 'legitimate' but mistakes Putin remarks for Merkel's

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis waves as he arrives for the weekly general audience at the Vatican, August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said the West's withdrawal from Afghanistan was "legitimate" but backed some criticism of its involvement there with a quote he mistakenly attributed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which actually came from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Francis, 84, discussed the situation in Afghanistan in an interview broadcast on Wednesday on Spanish radio network COPE.