US military in Afghanistan believes 'turning point' reached in 11-yr war: Leon Panetta
Washington, Dec. 19 (ANI)
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that American military commanders in Afghanistan believe the US and its allies have "turned the tide" after 11 years of war.
Panetta said the international military coalition has reversed a five-year trend of growing violence. He said Afghan forces are on track to take the lead for securing the entire country next year, reports The Dawn.
He further said that military commanders "believe that we have fundamentally turned the tide in Afghanistan after years in which we lacked the right strategy and the necessary resources to try to achieve the mission we are embarked on".
Panetta spent two days in Afghanistan last week, consulting with top US commanders and with Afghan government officials. During his visit, he announced that President Hamid Karzai would visit Washington next month to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the way ahead.