Afghan handover to start this year, says Brown افغانستان کی سیکیورٹی کی ذمہ داری افغان فوسزکو دینے کا سلسلہ اس سال شروع ہوجائے گا۔۔

The province-by-province handover of security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces will begin later this year, Gordon Brown said today.

Opening an international conference in London on the country's future, the Prime Minister said the gathering marked a "decisive" moment in Afghanistan's history.

While he warned that British and international troops fighting the Taliban would face more "tough times" ahead, he said a process was being put in place that would enable them to return home.

"It will take time but I believe that the conditions set out in the plan that we will sign up to today can be met sooner than many expect and, as a result, the process of handover district-by-district will begin later this year," he said.

"It will mark the beginning of a new phase and a decisive step towards Afghans taking responsibility for their own security."

Mr Brown backed President Hamid Karzai's plan to re-integrate Taliban fighters who are prepared to lay down their arms and renounce violence.

"As an international community responding to President Karzai's leadership, we are today establishing an international trust fund to finance this peace and re-integration programme to provide an economic alternative to those who have none," he said.

"But for those insurgents who refuse to accept the conditions for re-integration, we have no choice but to pursue them militarily."  

Source - The Independent