US, NATO Mark End of War in Afghanistan
Voice of America
The United States and NATO formally marked the end of their war in Afghanistan Sunday, but the Taliban insurgency they fought for 13 years remains a fierce enemy of the Afghan government.
The U.S. and the Western military alliance ended their direct fighting operations with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul. But they plan to keep 13,500 troops, 11,000 of them American, in the country to help train and advise Afghan government forces that will take over combat and security operations on New Year's Day.
The commander of the International Security Assistance Force, U.S. Army General John Campbell, said the U.S. and NATO are not abandoning Kabul.
"Our new resolute mission means we will continue to invest in Afghanistan's future, our commitment to Afghanistan endures," Campbell said.
Whether the Afghan forces can contain the insurgency remains an open question, with militants regularly launching deadly attacks against Kabul's security forces.
Kabul residents
Mohammad Salim, a Kabul resident, said he was confident.
"We are satisfied by the capability of our Afghan security forces. They are now strong enough to assume security responsibility from NATO. We are proud of them,' Salim said.
Qasim Sanjani, also of Kabul, said continued international assistance is essential.
"International security forces must give guarantees to the leadership of the Afghan government that they will stay behind our security forces in terms of training and supporting them for the long term. They must make sure that our army is fully equipped after they leave the country," Sanjani said.
At its peak, there were about 140,000 troops from 50 countries taking part in the operation in Afghanistan.
Nearly 3,500 foreign troops were killed, more than 2,200 of them Americans, during the 13 years of fighting.
The U.S. invaded the country to overthrow the Taliban regime and attack the al-Qaida training grounds that spawned the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.