Afghan leader Hamid Karzai has opened an international conference in Kabul, renewing a call for his country to control its own security by 2014.
Afghanistan had not yet achieved good governance, he admitted, adding its allies faced "a vicious common enemy".
He was addressing representatives from 70 states in Afghanistan's largest aid meeting for three decades.
The US and its allies want assurances from Mr Karzai that he will tackle corruption and promote good governance.
Reuters reported that the final communique from the conference will say Afghan forces should begin taking security responsibility in some areas by the end of this year.
"Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014," the news agency quoted the communique as saying.
Call for control
Mr Karzai asked the international community to increase to 50% the proportion of foreign aid money that flows through the Afghan government.
Calling the conference a "milestone in deepening international partnership", Mr Karzai said in his opening remarks: "We face a vicious common enemy that violates every Islamic and international norm to break our unity of effort.
"They would like nothing better than to create uncertainty, to force our publics to doubt our state power and our determination."
Mr Karzai also called for more control of Afghanistan's multi-billion dollar aid budget. Only about 20% of international aid is currently distributed via the Afghan government.
In return, Afghan forces would seek to take the lead on security throughout the country by 2014, he said. A board would review which of the 34 provinces are ready for Afghan forces to take the lead on security operations from 2011 onwards.
To allow the withdrawal of some of the 150,000 Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, the army would have 170,000 soldiers by October 2011, and the police 134,000 officers. Up to 36,000 former militants would be reintegrated into the forces.
Speaking after Mr Karzai, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would accelerate the process of turning over security to Afghanistan's police and military from July 2011.
"The July 2011 date captures both our sense of urgency and the strength of our resolve," she said. "The transition process is too important to push off indefinitely... But this date is the start of a new phase, not the end of our involvement."
She said the US military commitment in Afghanistan would be matched by what she called an unprecedented civilian surge for economic development.
On Monday, Mrs Clinton said Washington was "pressing the Afghan government at all levels to be more accountable, to go after corruption".
She also warned it against trying to make peace with the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other militant groups the US considers irreconcilable.
The Taliban have insisted they will fight until all foreign forces leave.
US accountability push
Critics have questioned the proposal to raise the proportion of aid that goes directly to the Afghan government, particularly after recent revelations of large villas in Dubai being funded by corrupt payments siphoned from aid budgets.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is co-hosting the conference, said aid programmes needed to be "well-coordinated and fully transparent".
Mr Ban earlier urged the Afghan president to produce a "concrete action plan" and "do more on good governance, particularly fighting against corrupt practices".
Security forces were out in force in the Afghan capital ahead of the conference, with scores of checkpoints appearing overnight.
Several loud blasts were heard near the diplomatic and government quarter late on Monday, which correspondents said were probably caused by rockets.
Kabul has been shaken by daring Taliban suicide attacks in recent months.
A national peace jirga (meeting) in the city last month was attacked with rockets as it was being opened by Mr Karzai, and the interior minister and head of the intelligence service resigned shortly afterwards.
'Concrete action plan'
Afghanistan has received $36bn (£24bn) in foreign aid - about $1,200 a head - since 2001, but only a small amount of that spending has had any impact, says BBC international development correspondent David Loyn.
According to the World Bank, much has gone on security for a "second civil service" of highly-paid foreign consultants operating outside the Afghan state, and very little has been used to build Afghanistan's ability to govern itself.
Although it is not a donor conference, new pledges of increased aid have been made in the run-up, with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague saying his country planned to increase its aid to Afghanistan by £200m or 40%.
Mr Hague said the extra money, intended for education and job creation projects, would ultimately support the military effort.
Analysts believe the real significance of the conference lies in its attempt to keep the international community involved in Afghanistan in the light of US President Barack Obama's decision to begin reducing troop levels in July 2011.
