Panetta: U.S. to Shift Role in Afghanistan in 2013

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday that American forces will aim to end their combat role in Afghanistan as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all troops there are scheduled to come home.

His comments mark the first time the U.S. put a time frame on backing off its central role in the more than 10-year-long war.

NATO and the Afghan government plan to launch the final phase of transitioning areas of the country to Afghan security control in mid-2013. At that time, the U.S. and other international forces plan to change their focus to one of support -- training, advising and assisting Afghan forces -- through 2014.

No decisions have been made about how many American troops will be withdrawn in 2013, Panetta said. He suggested, however, that large reductions immediately following the shift are unlikely.

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