WASHINGTON (AP) - A spokesman says President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are "very much on the same page" about the overall plan to hand over responsibility for fighting in Afghanistan to Afghan forces.

But during a phone call from Obama this morning, Karzai says he stood firm on his demand that U.S. troops pull out of Afghan villages. Their presence there is a key part of U.S. military strategy.

One of the soldiers stationed in an Afghan village is now accused of killing 16 civilians over the weekend. He is being flown back to the United States.

Spokesman Jay Carney says that during the early-morning call, the leaders agreed to talk further about Karzai's demand. He says the leaders reaffirmed their "shared commitment" to a gradual transition to an Afghan combat lead next year.