Kabul, Rabi Al-Akhir 17, 1432, March 22, 2011, SPA -- Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that Afghan forces would take over security responsibility for four provincial cities and three provinces in a process to begin in July. The NATO-led international forces and US troops are scheduled to hand over responsibility for security to the Afghan police and military gradually, with completion set for 2014, according to a report of DPA. Speaking at the Afghan military academy, Karzai said that Afghan forces would initially take responsibility for Kabul province - excluding the restive district of Surobi - and for the relatively peaceful provinces of Bamiyan and Panjshir in the centre of the country. The local forces were also to take control of the western city of Herat, the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Mehtarlam in the east and Lashkargah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand. --SPA 11:04 LOCAL TIME 08:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/876154