Karzai: Afghanistan Ready to Take Over Security
October 18, 2012
by VOA News
President Hamid Karzai says Afghanistan's police and military forces are ready to take full responsibility for security if the U.S.-led coalition decides to pull out of the country early.
Karzai made his comments Thursday at a joint news conference in Kabul alongside NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The 11-year mission in Afghanistan is increasingly unpopular among NATO member nations, and there have been calls to put in place an accelerated draw-down plan to completely hand over security to Afghan forces before the end of 2014.
But Rasmussen told reporters, "the timeline remains change" and that "we are all committed to seeing our combat mission through by the end of 2014."
Prior to the press briefing, the NATO secretary-general told VOA's Afghan Service that he is confident Afghan security forces will be able to take full responsibility by the planned deadline.
He also said NATO and its partner countries will remain in Afghanistan on a training mission beyond 2014. Later in the press conference, he explained that while it is NATO's goal for Afghanistan to stand on its own feet, the country would not stand alone.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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