NATO has held a ceremony in Kabul formally ending its war in
Afghanistan, officials said, after 13 years of conflict and gradual
troop withdrawals that have left the country in the grip of worsening
conflicts with armed groups.
The event was carried out on Sunday in secret due to the threat of
Taliban strikes in the Afghan capital, which has been hit by repeated
suicide bombings and gun attacks over recent years.
On January 1, the US-led International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) combat mission will be replaced by a NATO "training and
support" mission.
"Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring
partnership" between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience
of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well
as diplomats and journalists.
He paid tribute to the international and Afghan troops who have died
fighting in the conflict saying: "The road before us remains
challenging but we will triumph".
The closing of NATO's combat mission comes at the end of the country's
deadliest year during the war, which saw at least 4,600 Afghan
soldiers and police killed and many other civilian deaths.
About 12,500 foreign troops staying in Afghanistan will not be
involved in direct fighting, but will assist the Afghan army and
police in the battle against the Taliban, who ruled from 1996 until
2001.
When numbers peaked in 2011, about 130,000 troops from 50 nations were
part of the NATO military alliance.
A NATO official said US General John Campbell, the ISAF commander,
would lead Sunday's ceremony at the force's headquarters in Kabul.
"In just a few days, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over,"
US President Barack Obama said in his Christmas Day address. "Our
longest war will come to a responsible end".
No comments:
Post a Comment