The last US combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan.
But naturally, the question of whether the war is really over or not arises. Here is a look at the various aspects of the troops withdrawal and ending of the war.
How will the future support be?
Soon, all the U.S. combat troops, and 20 years of accumulated war materiel will be gone.
However, the head of US Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, will have authority until September 2021 to defend Afghan forces against the Taliban.
He can do so by ordering strikes with US warplanes based outside of Afghanistan.
After the withdrawal, strike aircraft, along with any logistical support for Afghan forces, will be done from outside the country.
Inside Afghanistan, US troops will no longer be there to train or advise Afghan forces.
An unusually large US security contingent of 650 troops is based at the US Embassy compound.
This will protect American diplomats and potentially help secure the Kabul international airport.
Turkey is also expected to continue its current mission of providing airport security.
McKenzie will have authority to keep as many as 300 more troops to assist that mission until September 2021 (3 months from now).
Possibly, the US military may also be asked to assist any large-scale evacuation of Afghans seeking Special Immigrant Visas.
The U.S. administration is concerned of the Afghans who helped the US war effort.
They are thereby vulnerable to Taliban retribution, and will not be left behind by the U.S.
In effect, as many as 950 US troops will be present until September 2021 and there is potential for continued airstrikes.
So, the war is probably not over yet.
How then wars end?
Unlike Afghanistan, some wars end with a flourish.
World War I was over with the armistice signed with Germany on November 11, 1918 and the later signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
World War II saw dual celebrations in 1945, one with Germany’s surrender and other with Japan’s surrender.
In contrast, other endings have been less clear-cut.
The US pulled troops out of Vietnam in 1973, in what many consider a failed war that ended with the fall of Saigon two years later.
When convoys of US troops drove out of Iraq in 2011, a ceremony marked their final departure.
But just 3 years later, American troops were back to rebuild Iraqi forces that collapsed under attacks by Islamic State militants.
What is the case with U.S. war in Afghanistan?
As the war draws to a close, there will be no surrender and no peace treaty, no final victory and no decisive defeat.
For the U.S., it was enough that US forces dismantled al-Qaida and killed Osama bin Laden.
The NATO Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces began in 2015.
At the peak of the war, there were more than 130,000 troops in Afghanistan from 50 NATO nations and partner countries.
That dwindled to about 10,000 troops from 36 nations for the Resolute Support mission, and most had withdrawn their troops now.
Some may see the war ending when NATO’s mission is declared over.
But that may not happen for months.
What are the impending threats?
Lately, violence in Afghanistan has escalated. Taliban attacks on Afghan forces and civilians have intensified.
An emboldened Taliban insurgency is making battlefield gains. Meanwhile, the prospective peace talks are stalled.
Some fear that once foreign forces are gone, Afghanistan will dive deeper into civil war.
Though degraded, an Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State extremist network also exists.
Given this, the US leaders insist the only path to peace in Afghanistan is through a negotiated settlement.
Also, the US troop withdrawal does n0t mean the end of the war on terrorism.
The US has made it clear that it retains the authority to conduct strikes against al-Qaida or other terrorist groups in Afghanistan if they threaten the US homeland.
