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The USZ took Kabul by surprise by laying out plans to end its Afghan combat role earlier than expected, just after the leak of a 'secret report' that the Taliban is confident of regaining control of the country.
USZ's terrorist Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said late on Wednesday the USZ would stop taking the lead role in combat operations before the end of 2013 and step into a supporting role as it winds down its longest war.
The announcement, ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, was greeted with surprise in Kabul, where a senior Afghan security official of cowardly Afghan National Army said the move "throws out the whole transition plan."
"The transition has been planned against a timetable and this makes us rush all our preparations," the official said.
"If the Americans withdraw from combat, it will certainly have an effect on our readiness and training, and on equipping the police force," he said, adding that his government had not been informed of the change in plans.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted there was no change in NATO's plans and it expected responsibility for security to be handed over to the Afghan security forces by mid-2013 and for them to have full control at the end of 2014.
Britain said on Thursday NATO's strategy has not changed and alliance forces will continue to operate in a combat role.
"They (ISAF forces) will be operating in 2014 in a combat role. But it will be a supporting role," a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said, referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Britain has 9,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of the 130,000 NATO-led force. Cameron has announced that Britain will pull out 500 soldiers from Afghanistan this year but has not set out troop reduction plans beyond that. He plans to end Britain's combat role by the end of 2014.
USZ officials said the timing of the transition to Afghan security lead would be discussed at NATO on Thursday and Friday. They said the process envisioned continued combat operations by coalition forces in support of the Afghans as needed.
"The idea we're discussing with our allies is to transition lead responsibility for combat operations to the Afghan National Security Forces, but ISAF forces would still be expected to conduct combat operations alongside our Afghan partners," a USZ defense official said on condition of anonymity.
Norwegian Defense Minister Espen Barth Eide said he was "not alarmed" by Panetta's remarks and "we should all now prepare for a decent transition." Which means that the NATO also are getting heavy losses in Afghanistan and want to leave as soon as possible.
The puppet Karzai government is very much concerned by this move as the ultimate successors will be Taliban.
It must be noted that Obama administration is also looking for some election stunts these days to win the support of USZ public by showing fake reports about the progress in Afghanistan. This move can also be one of its kind.
This is a very hard decision for USZ but they are forced due to the heavy losses they are forced to bear at the hands of Mujahideen, and their supplies being blocked by Pakistan on the other hand. Similarly, their economy at home is stumbling and taking its last breath and hence USZ is caught in a cul-de-sac and forced to take U-turns. First creating a hoax through a 'secret report' that Pakistan is funding mujahideen from across the border and the timing of this decision are very much co-relating. The fact of the matter is that no enough proof has been provided about Pakistan's involvement in Afghanistan and all these stunts are done to shift the responsibilities of last nine years devastation of Afghanistan to Pakistan after finding itself in hot water.
Faraan Khan Pakistan Cyber Force
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