Farc's decision to quickly free the captives suggests the rebels are no longer willing to pay the political price for capturing and holding members of the Colombian security forces for too long, says the BBC's correspondent in Bogota, Arturo Wallace.
The Americans will still hunt the Taliban and al-Qaeda, while the British, the largest part of the new southern force, will focus on helping Afghan forces with security and long-term development.
ECONOMIST: Anxious times for the under-manned Western forces
He said training fledgling Afghan security forces will be critical to long-term success, just as it was in Iraq.
Other U.S. officials said the United States has long suspected members of Iranian security forces of being linked to the attack on Khobar Towers at the King Abdul Aziz air base.
We'll continue to advise and assist Afghanistan's security forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul.
WHITEHOUSE: President Obama on the Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan | The White House
Yet this situation seemed a pipe dream not so long ago: Iraq's security forces, serving an elected government, assume primary responsibility for the good order of their own country.
Despite the denials from Jakarta, it has long been obvious that Indonesia's security forces have been backing and arming the militias.
The Bush administration has long argued that a sovereign Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces need to be responsible for securing the country.
Egyptian security forces do operate in this region but only in limited numbers following a long-standing peace agreement with neighbouring Israel.
And our duty is now clear: For the sake of our long-term security, all free nations must stand with the forces of democracy and justice that have begun to transform the Middle East.
The people of Colombia have been plagued by this terrorist insurgency for a very long time, and as a consequence of the success of Colombian security forces, I think we now have the chance to see continued stability in Colombia and in the region.
Together, they are working tirelessly to strengthen the Afghan security forces, and to take insurgents on in regions where they have run roughshod for too long.
Mr Fayyad's security forces seem determined not to allow Muhammad Dahlan, a powerful former Fatah security chief who has long wanted the top job, to impose himself at the expense either of Mr Abbas or Mr Fayyad.
But they who refuse to pursue that reconciliation process now know that they will have to contend with both strong Afghan security forces backed by the United States and our allies, and again an Afghan government that is engaged in the long-term partnership with the United States.
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