NATO To Transfer Some Cities To Afghan Troops This Summer

04:52

March 24, 2011

U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Greer Saunders walks alongside children in the main bazaar during a patrol with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in Sangin district southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. (AP)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced seven areas of the country which will pass from control by foreign troops, into Afghan hands this July. The areas are home to about a fifth of the population, and the handover is seen as a critical step in a transition of power, taking place before foreign troops end combat operations at the end of 2014.

One of the cities expected to be handed over is Lashka Gahr, the capital of the Taliban stronghold, Helmand Province. The BBC's Quentin Sommerville takes us there.

BBC: U.S. welcomes Karzai's NATO pullout plan
Reuters Q&A: Are Afghan forces ready to take over security?

This segment aired on March 24, 2011.