NATO troops in Herat have transferred responsibility for security operations to Afghan forces for the western city. Herat is the fourth of seven areas to switch to Afghan control this week as NATO surge troops start leaving the country. Critics of the plan, which calls for all foreign combat troops to be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, say the timetable is politically motivated and does not reflect the abilities of Afghan forces to provide security. The handover ceremony in Herat took place on July 21 at NATO's International Security Assistance Force headquarters in the city, where Italy had been in charge of security efforts. A separate ceremony was later held at an Afghan army base in the city.