Krishna to attend international conference on Afghanistan's future

New Delhi, July 19 (ANI0: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will leave on Monday afternoon for Kabul, where he will attend a day-long international conference on Tuesday on the future of Afghanistan.

Official sources said that apart from Krishna, 69 other world leaders would discuss steps for peace, stability and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, according to sources, is at a "critical turning point", and the conference will deliberate on an Afghan government-led plan to improve security, ensure good governance and crack down on corruption that has plagued the country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce a timetable for a "conditions-based and phased transition."

According to The Independent, the document reveals that the withdrawal of NATO troops is to begin within months.

By 2014, it is expected that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) would take charge of military operations in the country. (ANI)