Nato closes combat HQ as Afghan mission ends
Attacks continue as flag lowers on military alliance’s 13-year mission
THE US and Nato have closed their combat command in Afghanistan, more than 13 years after invading the country in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks to target al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.
Though quickly routing the Taliban-led government that sheltered the militants, the US-led coalition soon found itself spending billions rebuilding a country devastated by almost 30 years of war while an insurgency grew as the invasion and occupation of Iraq quickly took America’s attention.
As Nato’s International Security Assistance Force’s Joint Command, which was in charge of combat operations, lowered its flag and formally ended its deployment, resurgent Taliban militants launched yet another bloody attack in the country.
And with US President Barack Obama allowing American troops to go after both al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country into next year, it is unlikely the fighting will be over soon.
“I don’t think the war will slow or stop during the winter, as attacks on cities are not contingent on the weather,” Afghan political analyst Wahid Muzhdah said. “I believe attacks in the cities will increase – they attract media attention.”
The ceremony yesterday saw the Nato flag of the command folded and put away amid the foreign troop withdrawal.
From January 1, the coalition will maintain a force of 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of around 140,000 in 2011. As of December 1, there were some 13,300 Nato troops in the country.
US Gen John F Campbell, commander of Nato and US forces, said foreign troops will now focus on training and supporting local Afghan forces, which have led the fight against the Taliban insurgents since mid-2013.
“The Afghan security forces are capable,” Gen Campbell said. “They have to make some changes in the leadership which they’re doing, and t he y have to hold p e ople accountable.”
But as local troops stepped up, they now face record-high casualty figures that have risen 6.5 per cent this year, to 4,634 killed in action compared to 4,350 in 2013.
By comparison, some 3,500 foreign forces, including at least 2,210 American soldiers, have been killed since the war began back in 2001.
The latest attack saw Taliban fighters backed by a suicide bomber strike a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan, killing five people.
A policeman and four civilians died in the attack that started when a suicide bomber dressed in a police uniform detonated a carload of explosives at the main gate of the compound in Kandahar’s Maiwand district. Security forces killed the attackers. Mr Obama recently allowed American forces to launch operations against both Taliban and al-Qaida militants, broadening the mission of the US forces that will remain in the country.
They also will be permitted to provide combat and air support as necessary, while Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also considers resuming controversial night raids that could see Americans take part.
Up to 10,800 US troops will remain in Afghanistan for the first three months of next year, 1,000 more than previously planned, said a Nato official.
As a result, there will be little, if any, net drop in US troop numbers between now and December 31 when the international combat mission formally ends.
By the end of 2015, American officials say the US troop total will shrink to 5,500, and to near zero by the end of 2016.