The US commander in Afghanistan has prepared a color-coded timetable for handing over the control of Afghan provinces to local security forces. US Army General David Petraeus plans to submit his timetable to NATO leaders at a summit in Lisbon on November 19, The Times reported.
The control of some areas are handed over to local security forces within six months, according to the timetable.
While the western Herat Province is due for an early handover, US-led NATO forces will remain in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand for a minimum of two more years.
The colors in the timetable change from green to gray, the latter being the most problematic, indicating that the handover is more than two years away.
Provinces such as Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan in the south, and Kunar in the east, fall under this category.
A handful of areas in Afghanistan have been stamped “green,” signaling that they have been earmarked for a handover in the spring.
A monthly security assessment of every part of Afghanistan will continue right up until the summit but Petraeus is sufficiently confident in assigning a color code to each area to demonstrate that significant progress is being made.
Afghanistan has 34 provinces and most of the Taliban-related violence has occurred in nine provinces, all in the south and east.
Of Afghanistan’s more than 300 districts within the 34 provinces, it is estimated that about two-thirds could be handed over without significant risk.
Petraeus will reportedly make it clear to the NATO summit in Lisbon that the transition would be a gradual process. The reduction of the number of NATO troops would be in line with an increase in Afghan forces.
The plan, which is expected to receive full support at the summit, means the US will begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan from July next year.
Source: Press TV