The third phase of security transition was announced by President Hamid Karzai on May 13, 2012. As per the planned procedure, the security responsibility of the country has to be transferred from international troops to Afghan forces within five phases. Two of the phases have already been completed and according to certain calculations around 50 percent of Afghan population is already under the control of Afghan forces and by 2014, the entire Afghan population is expected to come under their control.

In the third phase of transition, three provinces – Kapisa, Uruzgan and Parwan will be transferred to Afghan forces. This phase is expected to be completed within six weeks. The Security Transition Commission head, Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai said that with the completion of the third phase, the number of provinces to be fully controlled by Afghan forces would reach 11 and would cover 122 districts of the country.

With the announcement of the third phase, a statement from the Presidential Palace said that the Security Transition Commission had been asked to focus its attention on the fourth and fifth phases. The ministries of interior, defense, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and the provincial governors concerned were asked to take the required measures to make the switch a success.

With the celebrations on the third phase of security transition and the high expectations from the fourth and fifth phases, it should not be forgotten that though it seems an easy task to complete the transition process and hand over the responsibilities to Afghan forces, the challenging aspect is to maintain peace and counter the threats of terrorism and insurgency that are getting tougher with each passing day.

There are many within international and national circles that have serious concerns regarding the capability of Afghan forces and their recent reputation. A thorough and realistic analysis of the situation clearly depicts that without the support of international troops it would be very difficult for Afghan forces to guarantee peace and tranquility in the country after 2014.

It is, no doubt, in the best interest of the country that ultimately Afghan forces take the responsibility of the nation on their own. Moreover, international troops because of the politics and pressure at home cannot guard us for indefinite period of time, but it does not call for any sort of urgency shown in this regard. It should be made sure that the transition is made very much cautious and the pros and cons of each phase are analyzed appropriately.