LONDON, June 27 (UPI) -- British military monitors are unable to assess how well Afghan forces are dealing with an increased level of militancy, the British foreign secretary said.
NATO in June announced Afghan national forces were in the lead in major security operations throughout the country. International forces are handing more responsibility over to their Afghan counterparts in preparation for a 2014 withdrawal.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague submitted his regular update on Afghan operations Thursday to members of Parliament.
He said there were 352,000 active members of the Afghan military and recruitment objectives were sufficient to maintain critical fighting strength. He said more work was needed, however, in terms of air support and overall capabilities during the summer fighting season.
"It is still too early to assess the [military's] overall success in dealing with the insurgency during this fighting season, and we will not be able to gain a complete picture of their confidence and resilience levels until after 2014," he said in his report.
The British Defense Ministry said this month it was starting preparations to pull its military equipment out of Afghanistan as its combat obligations wind down.
Hague said Afghan forces will be put to the test in the coming months as the fighting season enters full swing.
"How they fare this summer will be a key indicator of their ability to secure Afghanistan independently in the longer term," he said.
