Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt announced the plans after his minority government reached an agreement with two opposition parties — the Social Democrats and the Green Party.

The Swedish troops are part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Reinfeldt said Sweden will focus on helping train Afghan security forces and increasing humanitarian assistance, in line with the plans outlined at the Kabul conference that was jointly hosted by Afghanistan and the UN in July.

“It’s our ambition that Afghanistan should be able to support its own development, but we also express a long-term responsibility for the aid that probably will be needed,” Reinfeldt said at a press conference in Stockholm.

Finland, whose 140 peacekeepers in Afghanistan work closely with the Swedes, welcomed the agreement and said it is in line with its decisions to date.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb also said countries like Finland and Sweden, which operate in the northern part of Afghanistan might be able to leave sooner than others.

“Our analysis leads us to believe that it’s certainly very possible that the northern areas would among the first (from which troops would be withdrawn) but there is no absolute certainty about it,” he told reporters in Helsinki.

Reinfeldt said Sweden plans to start handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces next year and begin withdrawing troops in 2012. It also plans to introduce a civilian leader to oversee all the Swedish efforts in Afghanistan in 2012.

Reinfeldt added the exact dates of the changes will depend on the security developments in Afghanistan.

The plans are expected to be approved by Parliament.