Nato to control south Afghanistan

The American-led coalition will hand over the area around the southern provinces, where security has deteriorated in recent months.

The region has been at the centre of intense fighting, and hundreds of people have been killed.

The handover will double the number of troops in the region.

For months, international troop numbers have been building up here in southern Afghanistan for Nato's expansion into the south of the country.

But the international security assistance force will be taking control of an area which has seen a dramatic deterioration in security over the past few months.

Different mission

British and Canadian forces are taking the lead in the southern provinces, but their presence already has provoked heavy fighting which has seen hundreds of people killed this year.

The American-led coalition concentrated on counter-insurgency and had far fewer troops on the ground in the period since the Taleban were overthrown almost five years ago.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5230138.stm