Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- NATO's goal of ending combat operations in Afghanistan and leaving security in local hands by the end of 2014 is realistic, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday on his second visit to the nation in 2010.
"It's challenging, but it is achievable," Cameron said. "What I see is actually some grounds for cautious optimism".
Cameron cited the continued training of the Afghan National Army and the nation's police force, noting 500 police officers are coming out of a British-run police academy every eight weeks.
"There are more markets open, more children going to school, local governors providing legitimate governance with the local population rejecting the brutal shadow (of the) Taliban regime," Cameron said during a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. CNN
