NATO members formally agreed to start reducing troop levels in Afghanistan next year. They also plan to hand over control of security to the Afghan forces by the end of 2014. At present, the International Assistance Force for Afghanistan has 150,000 troops caught in the nine-year-old conflict. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the withdrawal strategy during the NATO summit in Lisbon. He said, "Starting early next year Afghan forces will begin taking the lead for security operations. This will begin in certain districts and provinces and based on conditions will gradually expand throughout the country. The aim is for Afghan forces to be in the lead countrywide by the end of 2014." Rasmussen says the transfer of security responsibilities will be a gradual process, beginning "district by district" and "province by province". To prevent a new outbreak of violence and resurgence of terrorism in the nation, Afghanistan and NATO also agree on the need to establish a long-term partnership. A partnership agreement was signed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Rasmussen at the end of the two-day summit. Hamid Karzai said, "As I stand before you today we are moving in the direction of transition to Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership. We are moving in the direction of conducting peace talks under Afghan leadership backed and understood and endorsed by the international community." In line with the partnership, NATO will step up training efforts for the Afghan forces and maintain adequate military support for the Afghan government in order to contain the Taliban insurgents and their al Qaeda allies. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also attended the NATO summit. He indicates there may not be a "purely military solution" and the future security of the country relies on "Genuine political dialogue amongst all Afghans".