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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The war in Afghanistan has come to an end for U.S.-led coalition forces after 13 bloody years.
A quiet flag-lowering ceremony at the headquarters of the NATO mission in Kabul marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the Afghanistan's own security forces.
U.S. Gen. John Campbell commemorated the 3,500 international soldiers killed on Afghan battlefields and praised the country's army for giving him confidence that they are able to take on the fight alone.
Beginning Jan. 1, the new coalition mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan's military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 of the 13,500 members of the residual force. Campbell says it will "serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership" between NATO and Afghanistan.
An Associated Press tally puts the death toll among U.S. troops in the 13-year war at 2,224.
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127-w-33-(Ed Donahue, AP correspondent, with music)--The United States and NATO are marking the end of their mission in Afghanistan. The AP's Ed Donahue reports. ((opens with music)) (28 Dec 2014)
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128-c-14-(Ed Donahue, AP correspondent)-"an AP tally"-AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports a ceremony in Kabul marked the end of the U.S. NATO mission in Afghanistan and a transition to a supporting role. (28 Dec 2014)
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009-r-33-(Sound of music, at ceremony marking the formal end of the war in Afghanistan)--Sound of music at ceremony marking the formal end of the war in Afghanistan. (28 Dec 2014)
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APPHOTO MAH104: Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, center, cases the ISAF flag during a ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with the ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) (28 Dec 2014)
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APPHOTO MAH107: Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, left, and Command Sgt. Maj. Delbert Byers open the "Resolute Support" flag during a ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with the ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) (28 Dec 2014)
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