US Ends Combat in Afghanistan, Taliban Moving In
The 13-year-long U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan has come to an end even as thousands of Afghans are running to take shelter from the Taliban.
The transition of power from American troops to Afghan security forces was marked this weekend with a ceremony at the NATO Mission Headquarters in Kabul.
"There's a small service bedrock of our great partnership with Afghanistan, which our joint interests and cooperation will ensure a share of security," Gen. John Campbell said, addressing a small audience.
A peacekeeping and training force of more than 13,000 soldiers will remain in the country, including 11,000 from the United States.
More 2,200 American soldiers have died during the war in Afghanistan, which began after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
The United States has also spent more than $1 trillion on the war.
A Taliban spokesman called the weekend's event a "defeat ceremony" and vowed the insurgent fight would continue.
Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans are already taking shelter at makeshift camps in the capital. They are on the run as the Taliban returns to areas once cleared by foreign forces.
