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NATO formally hands over to new Afghanistan mission
NATO has formally ended its war in Afghanistan with a ceremony in Kabul, 13 years after its combat mission began. The alliance leaves behind a new mission called Resolute Support, to help...
By: euronews (in English)
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NATO formally hands over to new Afghanistan mission - Video
Afghanistan, dopo 13 anni si conclude la missione Isaf
Si conclude dopo 13 anni la missione internazionale in Afghanistan. Da Kabul i responsabili Isaf hanno annunciato la fine delle operazioni da combattimento. Dal 1 gennaio 2015 inizier, infatti,...
By: euronews (in Italiano)
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Afghanistan, dopo 13 anni si conclude la missione Isaf - Video
ISAF ends and Resolute Support Mission begins in Afghanistan
As the 13-year ISAF mission ends, international forces are not leaving Afghanistan but are in fact staying for Resolute Support, which involves training, advising and assisting Afghan forces.
By: NATO
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ISAF ends and Resolute Support Mission begins in Afghanistan - Video
Provided by Time Article AFGHANISTAN-UNREST-ISAF-NATO
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan ended its combat mission Sunday, marking the formalif not realend to the longest war in American history.
American warplanes began bombing the country on Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks. Their goal was to drive the ruling Taliban from power, after they had given sanctuary inside the country to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, which had plotted the terror strikes.
That was accomplished on Nov. 13, 2001.
The U.S. and its allies have remained since then, trying to build up Afghan military and police forces sufficient to defend their country without outside help. Despite Sunday's bowing out, the U.S. will remain involved in Afghanistan's fight against the Taliban for years to come.
"In the wake of the Talibans defeat in 2001, Afghanistan possessed no standing, professional security forces," Army General John Campbell, chief of the International Security Assistance Force, said. "Over the course of a decade, our Afghan partners and we have built a highly capable Afghan army and police force of over 350,000 personnel."
Sunday marked the formal handoff to that largely U.S.-trained Afghan military. "The road before us remains challenging, but we will triumph," Campbell told a small gathering at ISAF headquarters.
For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan, President Obama said in a statement. Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.
The new, slimmed-down allied mission, Campbell said, will be called Operation Resolute Support. Back in Washington, the Pentagon said its piece of the new mission will be called Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
"We will work with our allies and partners as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission to continue training, advising, and assisting Afghan security forces," outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. "And we will continue our counterterrorism mission against the remnants of al Qaeda to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to stage attacks against our homeland."
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U.S. Ends Its War in Afghanistan
International military forces formally ended their combat mission in Afghanistan on Sunday after more than 13 years even as deadly violence continued in parts of the country.
The U.S.-led coalition known as the International Security Assistance Force lowered its green and white flag at its Kabul headquarters at 2:22 p.m. in a small ceremony marking the transition to a smaller mission focused on training and counterterrorism.
In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the 40-nation coalition was not walking away from Afghanistan when its combat mission officially expires Wednesday.
As we complete the international combat mission at the end of 2014, we open a new chapter in the relationship between NATO and Afghanistan, Stoltenberg said. The security of Afghanistan will be fully in the hands of the countrys 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police.
In reality, the conflict in Afghanistan is far from over and international troops will still be involved in fighting. More than 12,500 foreign troops, including some 10,800 U.S. service members, will remain in the country under a new mission, dubbed Resolute Support, and are expected to gradually withdraw by the end of 2016.
U.S. troops will still be authorized to conduct airstrikes and provide other limited combat support to Afghan forces under orders approved by President Obama to help fight a Taliban-led insurgency that has demonstrated its strength with a series of major attacks in recent weeks.
The new mission will consist of troops from 28 NATO allies and 14 partner nations.
In a statement issued Sunday, Obama said the Kabul ceremony "marks a milestone" for the U.S., adding that "the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion."
In thanking troops and their families for their sacrifiices, the president also warned that "Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, and the Afghan people and their security forces continue to make tremendous sacrifices in defense of their country."
Speaking in Kabul, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, President Ashraf Ghanis national security advisor, thanked the foreign troops for their service since December 2001, when the United Nations Security Council established the international coalition following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Some 3,500 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan, including 2,224 American service members, according to a tally by the Associated Press.
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Afghanistan: U.S.-led coalition formally ends 13-year combat mission