U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday that U.S. and NATO military forces will complete their mission in Afghanistan next year instead of in 2014, according to a report on CNN.
Speaking to reporters who accompanied him during a visit in Belgium, Panetta said, “I hope that by the middle or at the latest the end of 2013, we can change our force’s assignment in Afghanistan to a mission of training, advice and assistance.”