[In a written statement
Sunday, President Obama lauded the “responsible conclusion” of the Afghanistan
war, even though he acknowledged that the country remains a “dangerous place.”
He also thanked “every American — military and civilian” for their service and
said that the United States is more secure because of their sacrifices.]
KABUL
— The 13-year NATO combat mission in Afghanistan formally ended
Sunday with a ceremonial retirement of its green flag and a pledge by top
officials of the U.S.-led coalition to remain reliable partners in
Afghanistan’s unfinished war against the Taliban and
other militant groups.
Afghan and International Security Assistance Force officials mark the end of the American-led coalition combat mission in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
Scores of Afghan and
foreign officials gathered to witness the symbolic shift to a new, much smaller
NATO assistance and training mission. The event was held in a basketball gym
inside NATO headquarters here in the Afghan capital and accompanied by a brass
band and a color guard.
“Our commitment to
Afghanistan endures. . . . We are not
walking away,” promised Gen. John F. Campbell, the U.S. commander of the
outgoing International Security Assistance Force mission. He will lead the new
NATO support mission, which technically begins at midnight Dec. 31.
Campbell and other
Western officials stressed that their chief function under the new mission,
named Resolute Support, will be to advise, train and
assist Afghan security forces. They said, however, that a separate “non-NATO”
contingent of U.S. forces will participate in force protection, logistical
support and counterterrorism activities.
The Taliban responded to
the transition event with glee. In a lengthy statement issued Sunday night by a
Taliban spokesman, the insurgent group gloated at the final departure of a
“haughty” superpower that “thought it had already won the war and that the
Mujaheddin would never . . . think of putting up a fight.”
The statement said the
NATO withdrawal was proof that “the infidel powers who thought they would turn
Afghanistan into their strategic colony” had been “pushed to the brink of
defeat.”
The total number of
international troops here, which peaked in 2009 at about 142,000, has gradually
shrunk to about 17,000. Under Resolute Support, officials said, 12,500 to
13,500 NATO forces will remain in 2015, including about 5,000 American troops.
Twenty-eight NATO allies and 14 partner nations will contribute in different
ways, the alliance said. Officials said about 5,500 U.S. forces will be part of
the second contingent, which will be based in Kabul.
Western and Afghan
officials at the event described the shift in upbeat terms. They praised the
dedication and bravery of Afghan security forces, now numbering about 350,000,
and predicted that the Afghans will continue to wage a strong fight on their
own against Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.
In a written statement
Sunday, President Obama lauded the “responsible conclusion” of the Afghanistan
war, even though he acknowledged that the country remains a “dangerous place.”
He also thanked “every American — military and civilian” for their service and
said that the United States is more secure because of their sacrifices.
Gen. Hans-Lothar Domröse,
a senior NATO official based in Brussels, told the Kabul audience that Afghan
forces have shown the “ability, will and confidence to defeat the enemy.” He
said opinion polls show that 88 percent of Afghans have confidence in the
national army and 72 percent in the national police. “Today begins a new
chapter for NATO as an enduring partner of the Afghan government,” he said.
But the withdrawal of
international combat support comes at an especially tense time for Afghanistan,
with the Taliban aggressively testing the will of the new national unity
government. Since early November, Taliban forces have waged an unprecedented terrorism campaign in the
capital and made steady inroads in several provinces, such as Helmand, where
U.S. and British forces once held sway.
In addition, the deadly Dec. 16 siege of a military-run
school in northwest Pakistan by Taliban militants has unleashed a flurry of
actions by Afghan, Pakistani and foreign forces, including U.S. drone strikes,
in the volatile border area where both Afghan and Pakistani Taliban insurgents
are active.
Early this month, the
Obama administration said it will leave up to 1,000 more troops than originally planned
in Afghanistan beyond year’s end. A change in the long-delayed Bilateral Security Agreement, signed by Afghan
officials in September and ratified by parliament in November, allows U.S.
troops to engage in counterterrorism operations against the Taliban and other
insurgents.
Another problem is that
three months after the installation of the power-sharing government, composed of President
Ashraf Ghani and top electoral rival Abdullah Abdullah, a cabinet has yet to be
formed, leaving a worrisome leadership void in the Defense and Interior
ministries as well as in the police intelligence department.
At the transition
ceremony Sunday, the only Afghan official to speak was the civilian national
security adviser, Mohammad Hanif Atmar. He expressed gratitude for the
sacrifices made by NATO forces. About 3,500 international troops have been
killed and tens of thousands wounded since 2001.
“We recognize that you
carried on the fight for us when we were not ready,” he said. “We pray for the
fallen, for your sons and daughters who died on our soil.”
Atmar insisted that
Afghan forces are now fully ready to defend their country, but he stressed that
they cannot do it without foreign assistance. “We don’t want or expect your
support to be indefinite, but we need it now more than ever,” he said.
In interviews Sunday,
several Afghan security officials expressed similar concerns, saying their
ground forces are motivated but poorly equipped and heavily reliant on foreign
troops for air support — especially bombing raids — in tough encounters with
insurgents.
This year has accounted
for a record number of casualties among Afghan forces, totaling more than 5,000
military and police personnel. Desertion rates continue to be high, and Afghan
officials say reducing casualties will be crucial to maintaining current force
levels.
In its statement Sunday,
the Taliban claimed that its fighters had “pushed back” foreign and Afghan
forces from strategic districts of Helmand province in the south, including
areas that were once under coalition control.
Over the past several
months, the insurgent group said it had “captured and liberated” large parts of
Musa Kala, had taken 40 military posts in Greshk and was reaching its fortified
center, and had regained key parts of Marja that had been secured by coalition
forces in a major campaign.
A senior Afghan military
commander in Helmand, Gen. Syed Malik, said his men “will continue to fight
bravely” after foreign forces are gone, “but the enemy knows we don’t have the
air force or helicopters, or enough artillery and heavy weapons. We need those
to lower our casualty rate,” he said. “Once we have those, I assure you we will
defend Afghanistan very well.”
