KABUL - The US Marine General Joseph Dunford took control of the NATO-led combat mission in Afghanistan on Sunday in an elaborate ceremony from the outgoing Gen. John Allen who has led the US and NATO forces for 19 months.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dunford praised the Afghan and international troops in Afghanistan saying they are "winning" the fight against the insurgency and stressed that this will not change with the leadership transfer.
"Today is not about change; it's about continuity. What has not changed is the will of this coalition," Dunford told a crowd of foreign and Afghan officials in NATO's ISAF headquarters in Kabul.
In his parting comments, Gen. Allen noted the progress of the Afghan forces in leading the fight against the insurgency.
"I believe that Afghanistan will never again be a safe haven to terrorists that will oppress the precious people of this country and be the scourge and the plague of the world," he said.
"This nation is the center, it is the heart of Asia. And as it continues on its present trajectory through the decade of transformation, it can be the future of Asia. I believe it can be, I believe it will be," he added.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey also addressed the crowd, underlining the ongoing partnership between the ISAF troops and the Afghan forces.
"It's a coalition based on shared values and fortified after more than a decade of conflict. Year after year, ISAF-Afghan National Security Force Partnership has denied the objectives of Afghanistan's enemies and those who seek to undermine our coalition," he said.
Praising Gen Allen's work, Dempsey remarked: "John is as fine an officer as I have known and a leader wholly committed to the nation here, to the people and relationships that propel that mission and to the broader strategy in this region of the world.
"John took command during the summer of 2011. He battered the enemy, he built the capacity and confidence of the Afghan military, and he recovered our surge forces, all at the same time. He's led with a quick mind with calloused hands and a servant's spirit at every level here in the capital to the end of field."
During Allen's tenure, Washington and Kabul transferred most of Afghanistan's security responsibilities to the local forces, signed a deal to transfer responsibility of detainees to Afghan control, and signed a long-term strategic agreement to govern their relationship for the next decade.
Afghanistan's Minister of Defense expressed his thanks to Gen Allen and appreciation for his time in Afghanistan.
"I would like to thank the General for having done a lot in Afghanistan. He applied much pressure on insurgent groups and the Taliban throughout his mission. During Gen. John Allen's time, the Afghan forces improved a lot and took sovereignty in parts where the Taliban were present," Bismillah Mohammadi said.
However, there remains a great deal of work to be done. Insecurity has clearly expanded into places that were traditionally more quiet and have sometimes struck the heart of the capital Kabul.
Washington plans to withdraw most of its 66,000 troops by the end of 2014. The remaining 30,000 NATO troops are also expected to leave at the same time. (Tolo News)