NATO expects Afghan forces to take full responsibility for their country's security by mid-2013, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday, while also downplaying suggestions that the alliance was ending its combat role early.
"Our shared goal is for the Afghan forces to be in the lead for security all across the country by the end of 2014 and we stick to that goal," he told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, dpa reported.
But he then went on to say that "we expect the last provinces to be handed over to the Afghan security forces by mid-2013."
"From that time, Afghan security forces are in the lead all over Afghanistan. And from that time, the role of our troops will gradually change from combat to support," he added.