'NATO commitment to Afghanistan remains unchanged'

Addressing a news conference in Kabul, NATO Secretary-General Anders Rasmussen said, “Our goal is an Afghanistan with its security provided by its own people and this goal has not changed. Our commitment and partnership with Afghanistan post-2014 remains unchanged.NATO said Thursday it is on track to fully hand over responsibility for securing Afghanistan to local forces by the end of 2014 as scheduled.NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also said Afghan troops would be ready to take the lead role around the country by mid-2013, allowing international combat forces to move into a support and training role.We will stick to the road map and we will gradually hand over by 2014, Rasmussen told Afghan Special Forces. During his visit to Afghanistan, he also held a meeting with President Hamid Karzai.The security transition began last year, when NATO handed over responsibility for areas that are home to half the nations population — with coalition forces in those regions now in a support role. The handover took place in two stages and a third tranche is expected before a NATO summit in Chicago in late May. Another three phases are planned over the coming year.