Afghanistan Plan Would Reduce NATO Combat Role by Thom Shanker, New York Times.
The senior American commander in Afghanistan said Tuesday that his plans for next year would emphasize deploying American and allied military trainers directly within Afghan security units, which could lessen the direct combat role of and accelerate local forces’ taking the lead in a growing number of missions.
The commander, Gen. of the Marine Corps, said he also was striving to consolidate security gains against Taliban forces in their traditional strongholds in the south and to counter insurgents crossing from Pakistan into volatile eastern Afghanistan...