The United States was hopeful that by the end of 2014, Afghan forces would be able to take the lead for security across the country as planned, but it was possible US and allied forces might remain beyond the target date, press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

"So, 2014 has been out there for quite some time as an aspirational goal for us to meet in terms of ultimately putting the Afghan security forces in the lead, having primary responsibility for the security of their country," Morrell told a news conference.

The timeline, which is due to be approved by NATO members at a summit starting Friday in Lisbon, did not necessarily mean that Afghan forces would be ready to take over from foreign troops in every area of the country by the end of 2014, he said.

Morrell also said "it does not mean that all US or coalition forces would necessarily be gone by that date."

"There may very well be the need for forces to remain in-country, albeit, hopefully, at smaller numbers, to assist the Afghans as they assume lead responsibility for the security of their country,"

Morrell added that the plan was for a transition to be wrapped up by "the end of 2014, so effectively it's by 2015."

His comments echoed remarks on Wednesday from NATO's civilian representative in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, who also portrayed the 2014 date as "realistic but not guaranteed."

Morrell insisted there was no contradiction between a deadline set by President Barack Obama to start the withdrawal of US troops in July next year and the 2014 date.

The Obama administration in recent months has played down the mid-2011 deadline to begin the gradual withdraw of US forces, suggesting that only a small number of troops may pull out by the target date.

Members of a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives have criticized the 2011 date as sending the wrong signal to insurgents.

Obama will meet with Karzai on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lisbon on Saturday, the White House said.

earlier related report
More Americans oppose war in Afghanistan: poll
Washington (AFP) Nov 18, 2010 - More Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan than support it, a new poll showed Thursday, the latest sign of waning public backing for the US-led mission.

The Quinnipiac University poll also found a large majority of Americans want to see an end to the ban on gays serving openly in the military, including voters with a family member in uniform.

The poll results will offer ammunition to opponents of the war and to Democrats in Congress pressing to scrap a law that requires gay troops to hide their sexual orientation or face expulsion from the military.

Fifty percent of those surveyed said the United States should not be involved in Afghanistan, with 44 percent supporting the US military presence, said the poll.

In a Septemer 9 poll by Quinnipiac University, 49 percent of Americans endorsed the war effort, while 41 percent expressed opposition.

Democrats, who are otherwise loyal supporters of President Barack Obama's policies, are overwhelmingly negative about the war, with 62 percent saying US troops should not be in Afghanistan, according to the survey.

Republicans, however, endorse the war 64 to 31 percent, despite their opposition to Obama on just about every other issue. Among independent voters, a majority of 54 percent said the United States should not be in Afghanistan, it said.

The poll showed military families were divided over the war, with 49 percent backing the US role and 47 percent saying the troops should come home.

Despite rising casualties and questions about prospects for victory after more than nine years, the conflict did not register on the political radar in this month's US legislative elections that saw Obama's Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives.

"President Barack Obama is in somewhat of a tenuous position politically on the Afghan war. If Republicans should desert him, he'd find himself with a very unpopular war on his hands," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The poll results came before a NATO summit this week in Lisbon, where Obama and other leaders are expected to endorse the war effort and lay out plans to begin handing over to Afghan forces starting next year.

Although Obama's approach to the war faces rising public opposition, his stance on lifting the ban on gays in the US military enjoys widespread support, the poll showed.

When asked about repealing the law banning gay troops from serving openly, 58 percent supported scrapping the rule, with 38 percent favoring retaining it.

Among voters with a member of the military in their family, 55 percent favored repeal and 38 percent opposed the change.

It was the first time the survey had found military families supporting ending the ban, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Democrats and independent voters supported lifting the ban by overwhelming majorities, the poll showed.

The Quinnipiac University poll, carried out from November 8-15, surveyed 2,424 registered voters nationwide and has a margin of error of two percentage points.

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