As the Taliban advance in Afghanistan, more and more foreign soldiers are leaving the country.
Now NATO has also ended its military operation - quietly and quietly.
Brussels - NATO quietly ended its military operation in Afghanistan after almost two decades.
As the German Press Agency in Brussels has been confirmed by several diplomats and the military, the soldiers currently stationed in the country from countries such as the USA and Turkey are now completely under the leadership of the national chains of command.
The alliance's bloodiest military operation to date is de facto history, it said.
The American armed forces alone lost more than 2,300 soldiers in the Hindu Kush.
The Bundeswehr complained about 59 victims.
The NATO operation in the Hindu Kush began after the attacks of September 11, 2001 at the request of the USA in order to put an end to the terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
From August 2003 to December 2014, the alliance led the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the country.
At peak times, this consisted of more than 130,000 soldiers.
She was also often involved in fighting the Afghan government troops against the militant Islamist Taliban.
In 2015, the "Resolute Support" mission followed for training, advising and supporting the national security forces in Afghanistan.
End of use not yet officially announced
According to information from the German Press Agency, the fact that the end of the military operation has not yet been officially communicated has to do with the fact that the plan of operations has not yet been formally overridden.
Another reason is that the US national mission is still ongoing.
US President Joe Biden had last announced a termination by the end of August.
The United States always had numerous soldiers stationed in the country who were not part of NATO operations.
This enabled them to provide the Afghan armed forces with military support that would not have been possible under the NATO mandate.
The soldiers under alliance orders had focused on training and advising security forces since 2015.
Since then there has been no mandate for combat missions.
The last German soldiers returned home on June 30th.
In addition to the Americans, Turks and Norwegians are among the few foreign armed forces in the country.
Turkey is currently securing Kabul airport and the Norwegians operate a field hospital.
Safe operation of the airport - together with medical care - is a prerequisite for embassies and international representations to remain in the country.
NATO reacted to the US decision
In April, NATO decided to initiate withdrawal from Afghanistan. The USA, as the largest provider of troops, had previously decided against staying in the country any longer. For the partners, a continuation of the mission would only have been possible with considerable additional costs and risks. At the beginning of the year there were still around 10,000 regular soldiers from NATO countries and partner states in Afghanistan, including around 1,000 from Germany.
How things will continue in Afghanistan after the complete withdrawal of western troops is unclear. Since the US and NATO troops began to withdraw in early May, the security situation has worsened. The militant Islamist Taliban have overrun more than a quarter of the districts in several offensives since the beginning of May, and they have infiltrated into several provincial capitals. It is feared that the Taliban could take over complete power in the country shortly after the end of the US mission. For the young democracy in Afghanistan, with its advances in women's rights and freedom of the media, such a development could be the fatal blow.
In response to criticism of the withdrawal decision, NATO has repeatedly replied that it will continue to provide financial support and that it will organize training camps for Afghan special forces abroad in the future. Ideally, the first training units should be able to start this month. dpa
