NATO defense ministers will discuss on Thursday possible changes to the alliance's strategy in Afghanistan after the U.S. and France called for speeding up the handover of combat roles to local Afghan forces.
Both U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have suggested that the coalition should transition out of combat in 2013.
Afghan security forces are supposed to assume responsibility for the war at the end of 2014, when the alliance expected to end its combat role.
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