Afghan President Hamid Karzai, speaking at the ational Military Academy in the capital, Kabul, March 22, 2011.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says Afghan forces will soon take over security from NATO in seven areas throughout the country - a first step towards the eventual withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan.
During a speech Tuesday in Kabul, Mr. Karzai said the security transition will begin in July. He told a group of army and police officers that it is time for Afghanistan to take responsibility for its own defense.
The areas to be handed over to Afghan forces include the relatively peaceful provinces of Bamiyan and Panjshir, parts of Laghman province in the east, and the cities of Herat in the west and Mazer-e-Sharif in the north. Afghan forces will also take control of parts of Kabul and of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of volatile Helmand province.
NATO has endorsed an Afghan timeline calling for international combat forces to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday welcomed President Karzai's announcement as the next phase in Afghanistan's "journey." But he emphasized that the process will be determined by conditions on the ground and that the alliance will not leave a security vacuum in the country.
The NATO chief urged members of the alliance to ensure that the Afghan transition is "irreversible" and that coalition troops transfer from a combat to a training role.
A Taliban spokesman dismissed President Karzai's announcement on Tuesday and said militants would continue their attacks.
During his speech, Mr. Karzai also urged the coalition to put an end to civilian casualties and night raids. He emphasized the transition should also take place in other areas besides security. The Afghan leader said all private security firms and militias should be disbanded and that all international aid should be handled through the Afghan government's budget.
There are roughly 140,000 foreign troops serving in Afghanistan.