Australia's 400 Troops To Remain in Afghanistan For Training Mission After 13-Year Combat Mission

Australia will continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan as the U.S. and NATO formally announce the end of their combat mission after 13 years. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has expressed concerns of the growing unrest in the region.

Bishop told ABC that Afghanistan's part of the world has seen turmoil and volatility with some "appalling incidents" in recent times. International media reports said that the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force will be replaced by a NATO training and support mission.

A ceremony was held in Kabul to mark the end of 13 years of fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Australia will continue to provide training to Afghan government forces as 400 Australian troops still remain in the country, Sky News reported.

According to Wall Street Journal, Afghan forces will be left alone to battle the resilient Taliban. The smaller force that will be left behind by the ISAF will focus more on counterterrorism and training Afghan soldiers and police. U.S. President Barack Obama had praised the change as the longest war in American history is finally coming to a "responsible conclusion."

Mr Obama said in a speech that some 18,000 foreign troops will remain in Afghanistan, of which 10,600 are Americans. They will stay under the terms of two security treaties that the Afghan government had signed with the U.S. and NATO. The mission was dubbed as "Resolute Support."

During the formal ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, coalition commander U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell had removed the ISAF flag and hoisted the Resolute Support banner. The base remained on high alert in case of a Taliban attack.

Hanif Atmar, national security adviser of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said that the country's military forces are ready to assume the responsibility of protecting the people. However, Atmar said Afghanistan acknowledges that it will still need support from the coalition.

ISAF was formed after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, following the 9/11 terrorist attack. The coalition was initially created to provide security in Kabul but has evolved into a joint task force of 50 nations to fight the Taliban. The force originally had as much as 130,000 troops between 2010 and 2011 but the numbers have shrunk in recent years as Afghan police took responsibility in maintaining security.