KABUL - President Hamid Karzai asked security officials on Thursday to finalize provinces and districts for security transfer to local control as part of the second phase of the transition process.
A day earlier, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) announced the 17 provinces where the second phase of security transition would take place.

At a conference with governors in Kabul, IDLG chief Abdul Khaliq Farahi said they were ready to take over the security responsibility in Daikundi, Nimroz, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-i-Pul, Takhar and Balkh provinces.
Farahi said the security transfer would also take place in some districts of Badakhshan, Badghis, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Ghor, Laghman, Maidan Wardak and Nangarhar.

The process in Badakhshan covers the provincial capital Faizabad, Shahr-i-Buzurg, Yaftale Sufla, Arghanchkhwa, Baharak, Tishkan, Kishm and Argu districts.
A statement from the Presidential Palace said Karzai chaired a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC). The meeting discussed in detail possible problems and their solutions during the second phase of transition.

Defense and interior ministers, presidential adviser on national security, IDLG chief, ISAF commander, the US ambassador, NATO's civilian representative and senior Afghan officials attended the meeting.
Karzai directed security officials to finalize the names of areas, where the security transfer would take place and present him a report in the NSC's next meeting.

Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis, and Aab Kamari district, Ghazni City, Nawa district of Helmand, Herat province, excluding Shindand and Chasht-e-Sharif districts, Sarobi district of Kabul and Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor, are also due for the switch.

The Qarghayee district of Laghman, Behsud, Kama, Khewa and Surkhrod districts and Jalalabad in Nangarhar, the Hesaye Awal and Hesaye Daum districts and capital of Maidan Wardak will also change hands.
The first phase of the security transfer from international troops to their Afghan counterparts began from central Bamyan province on July 17 and ended in Panjsher.

Kabul, excluding Sarobi district, Mehtarlam, Lashkargah, Herat City and Mazar-i-Sharif have gone through the process in the first phase. The process is scheduled to be completed by 2014 across the country.