Afghan withdrawal to dominate meeting

BRUSSELS, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Afghanistan is expected to dominate a meeting in Brussels attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his NATO colleagues, the Voice of America said.

NATO defense ministers gathered in the Belgian capital Thursday for a long-scheduled meeting.

VOA said Panetta surprised the media Wednesday night on his aircraft, saying the United States would withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan next year rather than at the end of 2014, as expected.

NATO leaders had agreed to transfer full security responsibility to Afghan forces in 2014.

"Our goal is to complete all of that transition in 2013 and then, hopefully, by mid- to the latter part of 2013, we will be able to make ... a transition from a combat role to a training, advice and assist role," Panetta told reporters.

"We expect the last provinces to be handed over to the Afghan security forces by mid-2013," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, but added individual allies must coordinate with the NATO command in Kabul.