Afghanistan conference agrees on exit timetable; pledges funds
World leaders meeting in London on Thursday agreed on a timetable for the handover of security duties in Afghan provinces starting in late 2010. In their final communique, the leaders also pledged funds for a plan aimed at persuading Taliban fighters to renounce violence, but offered no specific figures.
The meeting backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plan to reintegrate Taliban willing to "cut ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and pursue their political goals peacefully." It said handover of security responsibilities would begin this year, with the Afghan National Army "conducting the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within three years." (AP)
