US troops will end 'most' Afghanistan combat this spring

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player.
Download the correct version

President Obama said US troops would adopt a "fundamentally different" mission

US troops in Afghanistan will end "most" combat operations this spring, US President Barack Obama and Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai have agreed.

American forces are expected to switch to a support role, slightly earlier than originally scheduled, as Afghan troops take the security lead.
The two leaders also backed the holding of talks between the Afghan government and Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar.
Most of the 66,000 US troops in Afghanistan are due to leave in 2014.
"Starting this spring, our troops will have a different mission - training, advising, assisting Afghan forces," Mr Obama said in remarks at the White House on Friday, as Mr Karzai stood alongside.

"It will be a historic moment and another step toward full Afghan sovereignty."

The presidents also agreed that the US would hand over custody of prisoners to the Afghan government, a step Mr Karzai said was critical for his country's sovereignty.
The transition of US troops to a support role by this spring would be several months earlier than the mid-2013 deadline agreed at a Nato summit in Chicago last year.
Mr Obama said American forces could remain in Afghanistan in that support role beyond 2014.
But this would only be at the invitation of the Afghan government and under an agreement guaranteeing US troops immunity from Afghan law.

US troops will end 'most' Afghanistan combat this spring

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player.
Download the correct version

Obama and Karzai news conference at White House

US troops in Afghanistan will end "most" combat operations this spring, US President Barack Obama and Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai have said.

They said US troops were expected to switch to a support role, slightly earlier than originally scheduled, as Afghan forces take the security lead.
The two leaders also backed the holding of talks in Doha, Qatar, between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Most of the 66,000 US troops in Afghanistan are due to leave in 2014.
"Starting this spring, our troops will have a different mission - training, advising, assisting Afghan forces," Mr Obama said in remarks at White House, as Mr Karzai stood alongside. "It will be an historic moment and another step toward full Afghan sovereignty."
The transition of US troops to a support role by this spring would be a little earlier than the mid-2013 deadline agreed at a Nato summit in Chicago last year.
A joint statement issued by the leaders during Friday's meeting raised the possibility that some troops could stay after the end of the next year, but did not discuss numbers.
Mr Karzai and Mr Obama committed to crafting a bilateral security agreement "as soon as possible" and "discussed the possibility of a post-2014 US presence that is sustainable, that supports a capable and effective Afghan National Security Force, and that continues to pressure the remnants of al-Qaeda and its affiliates".