Afghan president says his army is ready to step up

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Afghan president says his army is ready to step up
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, April 5, 2008

BUCHAREST, Romania — Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that his army is poised to play a greater role, and that by August, he expects his own forces to assume control of security in Kabul.

Yet NATO-led forces in Afghanistan — which includes some 19,000 American troops — will be engaged for the long haul, according to a new strategic plan unveiled at the 26-nation NATO summit in Bucharest. Under the plan, a more concerted effort to transfer authority to local leaders is required.

The goal is “to move toward a transition phase,” NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said during a Thursday news conference, where he was joined by Karzai and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

“Afghanistan must now fulfill its responsibility,” Karzai said. “If addressed fully, this (strategic plan) will bring about the security Afghan people are seeking.”

Despite that goal, there will be no immediate change for Marines and soldiers engaged in the fight. NATO leaders couldn’t say when the “transition phase” will begin to pay dividends that remove troops from the front lines. Indeed, the need for additional troop commitments has been among the major issues at this year’s summit, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that the U.S. intends to send many more combat forces to Afghanistan next year.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53842