Kabul, July 20 (ANI): British troops are planning to hand over the control of the city of Lashkar Gah in volatile Helmand province to Afghan security forces.
The move comes after NATO forces handed over the relatively peaceful province of Bamiyan and the eastern town of Mehter Lam to the local Afghan administration, The BBC reports.
NATO handed over the responsibility for the security of Mehter Lam, the capital of eastern Laghman province, on Tuesday.
The handover is seen as a critical step in the transition of power before foreign troops end combat operations across Afghanistan in 2014.
According to the plan passed by President Hamid Karzai in March, control of seven cities is to be handed over to the Afghan forces.
But with the United States scheduled to withdraw 10,000 troops by year's end, questions loom over the long-term security of Helmand province.
Analysts believe controlling the volatile region of Laskar Gah will be a real test for Afghan forces, ahead of foreign troop withdrawal by 2014. (ANI)
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