A US soldier mans a machine gun on a US Army helicopter as it heads to Kandahar military base while transporting troops in southern Afghanistan on July 29, 2011. All foreign combat forces are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and last week a first set of security handovers from NATO to Afghan forces took place in seven parts of the country. AFP PHOTO / ROMEO GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)
