Afghanistan–United States relations

President Barack Obama heralded the first U.S. Memorial Day in 14 years without a major ground war in an annual ceremony of remembrance on May 25 for fallen American forces.

Grabar Kitarovic began her visit on Sunday to Afghanistan's capital Kabul, where she met Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

"I am proud that Croatia, over these 12 years, has participated in the first combat mission of NATO, ISAF [International Security Assistance Force], and is now participating in Operation Determined Support," she said.

US President Barack Obama's decision to slow the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will hamper peace efforts, the Taliban said Wednesday, vowing to continue fighting.
      
Obama on Tuesday reversed plans to withdraw around 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan this year, an overture to the country's new reform-minded leader, President Ashraf Ghani.
      

Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Macedonia are set to sign a agreement on their joint participation in the new NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

The defence ministers of the countries will shortly sign the technical contract on deploying troops in a joint unit in a mission codenamed Resolute Support, which launched in January.

President Barack Obama is to meet March 24 with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, who has asked Washington for "flexibility" on the pace of US troop withdrawals from the war-torn country.
      

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have handed over Camp Do?an to Afghan government forces, marking its departure from the base it has been using in Kabul since 2002.

Turkish Maj. Gen. Mehmet Cahit Bak?r and Gen. Azizuddin Ayar, a representative of the Afghanistan Defense Ministry, as well as other Afghan officials, attended the ceremony.

The government this week launched proceedings for the issuing of visas to Afghan interpreters who worked with a Greek military unit participating in a NATO-led operation in Afghanistan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu has announced that the number of Turkish troops stationed in Afghanistan will be increased from 700 to 1,100.

"We will continue training and equipping Afghan security forces," Çavu?o?lu said on Jan. 19 in an address to the International Junior Diplomats Program.

Turkey's Parliament has approved a motion authorizing the government to send Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) troops to Afghanistan as part of NATO's new Resolute Support mission.

The war in Afghanistan came to a formal end on Dec. 28, 2014, with a flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul. The symbolic act, which was held under heavy security measures due to threats of an attack, marked the conclusion of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom and the start of Operation Resolute Support.