Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his security forces will soon take charge of security in seven areas around the country, the first step towards his goal of having Afghan police and soldiers protecting the entire nation by the end of 2014.
In a speech in the capital, Kabul, today, Mr Karzai said the provincial capitals of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan, Herat in the west, Mazer-e-Sharif in the north and Mehterlam in the east are due to be handed over from Nato-led forces to Afghan soldiers and police in July.
He added that all of Bamiyan and Panshir provinces, which have seen little or no fighting, are also on the transition list, along with Kabul province, except for the restive Surobi district.
“The Afghan nation doesn’t want the defence of this country to be in the hands of others any more,” Mr Karzai told hundreds of dignitaries and Afghan police and soldiers at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan in the capital.
He struck a nationalistic chord in his speech, which was peppered with criticism of the international effort.
He said the transition process would expand from the capitals to the provinces.
“This is our responsibility to raise our flag with honour and pride,” he added.
Mr Karzai also reiterated his call for the Taliban to join the peace process, and said that night raids, civilian casualties and irresponsible arrests have bolstered the insurgency.
The death of civilians must end, he added.
A series of recent air strikes which have led to the deaths of numerous civilians have seriously eroded relations between Mr Karzai and the US-led military coalition.
He emphasised that the war against militants should not be fought in the villages of Afghanistan, but should be directed at the “roots and safe havens” - a veiled reference to neighbouring Pakistan where insurgents plot attacks out of reach of Afghan and coalition troops.
Agencies