U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last week certainly raised hopes when he announced that NATO allies largely had agreed to hand over the lead combat role to the Afghan army in 2013 instead of by the planned close of 2014.

Panetta’s statement, which echoed an earlier one by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is cause for optimism that the 2012 target date for the withdrawal of combat forces is achievable.

The United States has about 91,000 troops in Afghanistan – 22,000 of which are due to come home by this fall. The remaining 68,000 troops are scheduled to come home by the end of 2014.

Americans are becoming increasingly impatient for an end to the more than 10-year war in Afghanistan and are eager to see U.S. combat forces achieve their goals and come home.

While violence is down in some areas of the country, Taliban fighters have lost territory and hundreds of their midlevel commanders have been either killed or captured, the war shows no sign of winding down. The Taliban remain unbeaten, the peace process is bogged down and Afghan security forces aren’t ready to take control of their country.

Even with a continued draw down of U.S. and NATO forces, significant numbers of troops will remain to help train and support the fledgling Afgan army. U.S. Marines operating in Helmand province already are making the transition out of a combat role and are on track to reduce their numbers significantly this year.

That transition spread across the entire country likely could hasten the building and training of Afghan forces so they can take the lead in the fight against Taliban insurgents. The longer U.S. and foreign troops remain in Afghanistan, the longer they will face determined resistance from an enemy that seeks the expulsion of foreign troops almost as much, if not more, than a return to power.