BRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that NATO allies have agreed broadly to step back from the lead combat role in Afghanistan and let local forces take their place as early as next year, a shortened timetable that startled officials and members of Congress. Obama administration karen millen officials scrambled with varying degrees of clarity to explain that Panetta’s announcement en route to the NATO defense ministers’ meeting here that he hoped combat troops would move into a training and assistance role beginning in 2013 was not a policy change, but an optimistic look at the already-established timetable. Panetta said he told a meeting of his 27 NATO counterparts that he hoped Afghan

karen millen dresses forces would be ready to take the combat lead countrywide sometime in 2013, with international troops shifting to a support role after a decade of inconclusive combat. That means Afghans would bear the main burden of offensive action, with U.S. and other foreign troops assisting, he said. “There was

karen millen sale consensus on this” among the allied defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters, Panetta told reporters, adding that no final decision was made. Other officials,

 http://www.karenmillendressesonlines.com however, said there were some differences of opinion on whether 2013 was the right time to make this change. Few besides Panetta were willing to discuss the matter publicly; the ministers were due to resume their talks on Friday.