Afghan forces ready to secure country after 2014

The Afghan security forces are ready to ensure security for their own country after NATO-led forces hand over security charge to Afghan side by the end of 2014, President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday. "I am convinced and the Afghan people are confident that our National Security Forces would ensure security for this country when the handover of security is completed two years later," Karzai said in his speech delivered at police officers graduation ceremony here. The process of security transition started in July 2011 in order to pave the way for withdrawal of over 130,000-strong NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with nearly 90, 000 of them Americans. The strength of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) at the moment is over 305,000 including army, police and other personnel of law enforcing agencies. A total of 535 police officers graduated from Afghan National Police Academy on Tuesday, according to Nawroz Khalil, commander of the academy. The ANSF took security duties from foreign forces in northern Kunduz province and eastern Kapisa province and will take control of southern Uruzgan province later Tuesday. Under the U.S. President Barack Obama's withdrawal plan, 10,000 U.S. troops already pulled out of Afghanistan last year and another 23,000 will return home by September this year. e t