Photo: STAFF SGT PERRY ASTON/US AIR / AFP/Getty Images

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US Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson (2L), Commander of ISAF Joint...

U.S., NATO end Afghan combat command after 13 years

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KABUL The U.S. and NATO closed their combat command in Afghanistan on Monday, more than 13 years after invading the country in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to target al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Though it quickly routed the Taliban-led government that sheltered the militants, the U.S.-led coalition soon found itself spending billions of dollars rebuilding a country devastated by almost 30 years of war while an insurgency grew as the invasion and occupation of Iraq quickly took Americas attention.

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U.S., NATO end Afghan combat command after 13 years