The London conference on Afghanistan marks the beginning of the process of transition from international to Afghan control after a "difficult year," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday, DPA reported.
Opening the conference of 70 nations, Brown said the western military surge was "turning the tide" against the Taliban-led insurgency.
"The balance will continue to shift to Afghan security control," said Brown.
The total number of Afghan police and military would rise to 300,000 by 2011, while there would be 135,000 foreign troops in the country.
The shared strategy of "Afghanisation" would mark the beginning of a new phase and a "decisive step" for Afghans to take responsibility for their own affairs.
The start of the process of the handover of provinces and districts would begin later this year.
Brown especially welcomed Germany's decision to increase its troop numbers in Afghanistan earlier this week.
Conference marks beginning of Afghan transition, says Brown
See Also:
- Britain's Sun newspaper refutes Brown allegations over hacking
- Gordon Brown attacks "criminal activity" in British hacking scandal
- Blair: Brown was "maddening", with "zero emotional intelligence"
- Voting process begins to elect new Labour leader in Britain
- Gordon Brown's book a flop as Blair prepares for memoir launch
