Afghan defense ministry officials on Wednesday announced that Afghan security forces will take full lead of the military operations across the country within the next two months.
The officials further added security responsibilities across the country will be handed over to Afghan security forces this summer.
According to defense officials, Afghan security forces are currently responsible for 90 percent of the military operations and majority of the security responsibilities have been handed over to Afghan troops across the country which forms 80 percent of the population.
Defense ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi on Wednesday told reporters, “Afghan national army is prepared to take full lead of the military operations within the next two months and this means that planning, implementation and execution of major military offensives will be conducted by Afghan army.”
This comes as Afghan national army still lacks access to heavy military equipments and a proper air force however defense ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said Afghan security forces will rarely need for heavy military equipments and air force while fighting with the insurgents.
Gen. Zahir Azimi also ensured that there will be no security vacuum following the withdrawal of NATO combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
He also called Taliban’s latest summer offensive a psychological war and said that Taliban militants do not have capabilities to fight Afghan security forces except in remote bordering regions.
