The United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan yesterday. The mission ended 13 years after the 9/11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force Joint Command lowered its flag, formally ending its deployment. Commander of NATO and US forces, Gen. John F. Campbell, said that the mission now would make a transition to a training and support role for Afghanistan's own security forces, which have led the fight against the Taliban insurgents since mid-2013.

From January 1, the coalition will maintain a force of 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak around one lakh forty thousand in 2011. There are around 15,000 troops now in the country. More than ten thousand US troops will remain in Afghanistan for the first three months of next year, 1,000 more than previously planned, as the new mission, called Resolute Support, waits for NATO partners to deploy, said a NATO official speaking on condition of anonymity, to discuss troop deployments.

As a result, there will be a little net drop in US troop numbers between now and the end of this year. By the end of next year, the total US troop levels will shrink to 5,500, and to near zero by the end of 2016.

US President Barack Obama recently allowed US forces to launch operations against both Taliban and al-Qaida militants, broadening the mission of the US forces that will remain in the country after the end of the year. Violence continued today in the country, as suicide bombers launched an assault on a police station in southern Kandahar province.