Afghan handover
January 25, 2012
On Tuesday, the handing-over ceremony took place in Faizabad, the capital of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province that borders Tajikistan. Afghan forces took charge of security of the 28 districts of this relatively peaceful province.
NATO forces also handed over security control of the northern province of Balkh to Afghan forces.
The security handover began in July last year when NATO-led combat troops gave control of seven peaceful parts of Afghanistan to local forces. The withdrawal of 130,000 NATO-led international forces from Afghanistan is to be completed in 2014.
In November last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced a second handover phase for six entire provinces, seven provincial cities and 43 districts of nine other provinces - a total area that covers half the Afghan population.
Lack of faith in Afghan forces
There are, however, serious doubts about the Afghan forces' ability to effectively secure the areas and rein in the ongoing insurgency. Many Afghans and political commentators have expressed their concerns about the ability of local forces to deal with the Taliban, who have been waging a violent war in Afghanistan for a decade, mainly in the southern and eastern areas of the country.
"We should not be left alone," said Shah Waliullah Adeeb, governor of Badakhshan. "If they don't support our national security forces, and if they leave us like this, we won't be able to secure this province," he said.
German Ambassador Ruediger Koenig, who also attended the ceremony, thinks otherwise. He believed the handover was "a success for the Afghan forces." He also said that "the withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan doesn't mean this country will be left alone."
Taliban peace talks
The US is also trying to negotiate with certain Taliban groups. Last week, Marc Grossman, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, flew to Kabul to discuss peace-talks with the Taliban.
"We are trying to get from conversations about confidence-building measures to negotiations between Afghans and the Taliban," said a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The US government has asked the Taliban to renounce violence and lay their arms. The US also wants the Taliban to cut all ties with al Qaeda.
Author: Shamil Shams (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Berning