NATO Troops Hand Over Control of Helmand Capital

Afghan policemen (R) stand guard after an individual was found with bags containing opium and a Kalashnikov rifle, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. (Abdul Malik/AFP/Getty Images)

British and U.S. forces officially handed over power to Afghan security forces in Lashkar Gah, the volatile capital of Helmand Province, on Wednesday.

It is the fourth of seven areas that are due to see security control transfer hands this week.

While the other areas are relatively peaceful, Lashkar Gah has seen some of the fiercest fighting over the past years in the embattled Helmand Province.

The NATO troops will still stay in Helmand Province, and are expected to continue assisting the Afghan troops with operations in Lashkar Gah.

The handover is one stage of the bigger picture to hand over full control of security in the country to Afghan forces by 2014.

However, concerns still exist over the capability of Afghan forces to manage the nation’s security largely because of widespread corruption in Afghanistan, especially within the police system.