NATO hands control of Mazar-i-Sharif to Afghans

MAZAR-I-SHARIF: NATO troops on Saturday handed control of Afghanistan's northern capital Mazar-i-Sharif to local forces amid rising security fears just days after it was hit by a deadly bombing.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the sixth of seven areas to transition to Afghan control, but critics say the timetable is politically motivated and scepticism is running high over Afghan abilities to ward off a trenchant Taliban insurgency.

A handover ceremony was held at the Afghan army's headquarters, attended by cabinet ministers and the German ambassador, with a NATO flag lowered and an Afghan flag raised after local soldiers sung the national anthem.

Violence is at a record high in the insurgency against the Western-backed government, and transition comes as 150,000 NATO-led troops begin a gradual withdrawal designed to recall all foreign combat troops by the end of 2014. (AFP)