With a camel in the foreground, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Steven Finlayson pauses before returning to Forward Operating Base Geronimo after providing security in Nawa, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2010. Finlayson and his squad provided security while Afghan and U.S. soldiers gave out supplies as a goodwill gesture during the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice. Finlayson is a team leader assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark FaylogaNATO Afghan Exit Could Mean Civil War, Kandaharis Say -- Yahoo News/Reuters
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – NATO's planned withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan in 2014 will likely mean a Taliban takeover and civil war, residents in the heartland of the insurgency fear, echoing a worrying recent report.
Afghans in the southern city of Kandahar said Afghanistan's security forces would likely collapse when foreign combat troops left, even if they continued providing training and equipment.
Kandahar province is the birthplace of the Taliban and has long been the focal point of Afghanistan's bitter insurgency.
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