Afghanistan said yesterday its forces would take over security in areas including the capital of Helmand Province from NATO this summer, launching a transition as foreign troops plan an exit by the end of 2014.
Afghanistan will notably take “full security responsibility” for most of Kabul Province, including the capital, and Lashkar Gah, the capital of the restive southern area of Helmand, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said.
It would also assume security responsibilities for Panjshir and Bamiyan provinces, most of Herat City, Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province, and Mehtarlam, the capital of Laghman Province, he said.
“Afghanistan does not want others to be responsible for its security and defense,” Karzai told senior army and police officers, kick-starting the transition under a timetable laid down by US President Barack Obama and allies.
“This year is a milestone in the process of government-building and peace. This is the year of taking on more responsibility,” he added, in a speech delivered on the second day of the Afghan new year. “I once again urge the armed opposition to stop their attacks and killings and join the peace process, otherwise they will be responsible for the continued presence of foreigners.”
Karzai’s announcement comes after battle-weary countries contributing to the NATO-led force agreed last year to begin putting the battlefield under his control, moving Western troops to a support role.
However, with a major insurgency still raging, led by the Taliban and other extremist outfits, doubts remain about how ready the national security forces really are.
Afghan military leaders complain of a lack of resources and some analysts cite corruption and low retention rates.
Most of the areas to be placed under Afghan security control this summer are well away from the fiercest fighting in the south, with Lashkar Gah the only part of southern Afghanistan on the list.
Security in Helmand has improved substantially since the US deployed an extra 30,000 troops in Afghanistan last year, mostly in the south, but experts say it remains fragile.
The transition in Lashkar Gah is likely to be largely symbolic, with NATO troops expected to remain in the city in large numbers in support of the Afghan National Security Forces after the handover.
Obama has said he wants US troops to begin leaving Afghanistan in July, amid waning domestic support for the war.
Last year was the deadliest by far for international troops since the conflict began in 2001, with more than 700 fatalities reported.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has focused in recent years on bolstering Afghanistan’s police and military.
However, as the start of the transition looms, Afghanistan’s security forces, which comprise 118,000 police officers and 159,500 military soldiers, are also coming under increasing attack.
Earlier this month, 36 people died in a suicide blast at an army recruitment center in Kunduz Province, the second attack on the center in three months.
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