The U.S. and Nato held a small and quiet ceremony in Kabul to officially end the war in Afghanistan Sunday.
According to CTV News, the flag-lowering ceremony swapped the green and white flag of the International Security Assistance Force with the flag of the new international mission known as Resolute Support.
The new mission begins Jan. 1 and will provide training and support for Afghanistan’s military.
U.S. troops will account for almost 11,000 of the 13,500 members of the residual force.
ISAF included 50 countries around the world that supported security efforts and gave troops to Afghanistan.
CTV News said U.S. general and commander of ISAF, John Campbell, acknowledged the 3,500 international soldiers killed over the 13 years of war in Afghanistan.
NBC News reported that President Obama marked the end of the war and the end of U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan.
Approximately 2,200 U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan and the war cost the U.S. $1 trillion since it invaded in 2001.
Obama said the U.S. is safer because of our troops service, but he said Afghanistan is still a dangerous place.
The U.S. will play a supporting and advising role to the Afghan forces. NBC News said nearly 10,000 civilians and 5,000 Afghan forces were killed in 2014.
