By David Alexander and David Brunnstrom BRUSSELS | Thu Feb 2, 2012 6:06pm EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) – U.S. forces will cede the lead role in combat operations in Afghanistan next year, but will keep fighting alongside Afghan troops, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday, as the Obama administration struggled to clear up confusion over its Afghan exit strategy. Panetta surprised allies on Wednesday by suggesting the U.S. combat mission…

By David Alexander and Mirwais Harooni BRUSSELS/KABUL | Thu Feb 2, 2012 8:15am EST BRUSSELS/KABUL (Reuters) – The United States took Kabul by surprise by laying out plans to end its Afghan combat role earlier than expected, just after the leak of a secret report that the Taliban is confident of regaining control of the country. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said late on Wednesday the United States would stop…

By Rob Taylor KABUL | Thu Feb 2, 2012 9:31am EST KABUL (Reuters) – Among the snippets in a secret NATO report detailing the hopes of jailed Taliban militants to retake Afghanistan was news the Islamist movement had set up telephone hotlines for Afghans to report anonymously on failures of its shadow government. Clearly a decade of war with NATO has not dented the ambitions of the Taliban rank and…

By Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni KABUL | Wed Feb 1, 2012 9:51am EST KABUL (Reuters) – The U.S. military said in a secret report that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control of Afghanistan after NATO-led forces withdraw, raising the prospect of a major failure of Western policy after a costly war. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed…

KABUL | Wed Feb 1, 2012 5:47am EST KABUL (Reuters) – The Afghan Taliban said on Wednesday that the hardline Islamist movement had no plans to hold preliminary peace talks with Afghanistan‘s government in Saudi Arabia. “We see Saudi Arabia with respect, because it is the centre of Islam. However, as it was reported in media that the representatives of the Islamic Emirate will meet with the Afghan government delegation,…