AFGHANS TO REPLACE NATO FORCES

KABUL: President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday announced the transfer of nationwide security from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to Afghan control, a major milestone as the US-led war effort winds down after 12 years.

Shortly before Karzai’s speech at a handover ceremony, the location of which had been kept a secret, a prominent lawmaker escaped a bomb attack in Kabul that killed three civilians, underlining the country’s continuing instability.