Afghanistan on Sunday began a long-promised transition to control of its own security, but secrecy shrouding the ceremony was a reminder of how tense the country is as foreign troops start to head home and violence spreads, according to Reuters. Ministers flew to central Bamiyan province, one of the most peaceful places in Afghanistan, for a ceremony that was not announced in advance, did not run live on any TV channel and to which only a small number of media outlets were invited. The Taliban have threatened to target transition events, and attacks have been a serious security concern for weeks, but Sunday's ceremony finished without any incidents. The handover from New Zealand forces to Afghan police -- there is no Afghan army presence in the province -- is the very first step in a slow process that aims to put the Afghan army and police in control across the country by the end of 2014. The change is critical to Afghanistan's long-term security at a time when Western nations are wearying of the cost in lives and cash of the near decade-long war, both the Afghan government and its Western backers say. "The start of transition is the first step in Afghan forces and Afghan people taking care of their own destiny," said Waheed Omer, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Locals said the town's gravel airstrip was busy, with scores of helicopters arriving throughout the morning. Many are gloomy about the departure of foreign troops from a province that was targeted by the Taliban when they were in power. Karzai did not attend, and key ministries, the commission in charge of transition, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force were all silent about the handover, hours after it had ended. -- SPA
