NATO defeated in 13-year Afghanistan war: Taliban

Taliban militants in Afghanistan say the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been defeated, a day after the US-led forces officially ended their 13-year war in the country.

In a statement released on Monday, the militants said they considered the official ending of the war on Afghanistan to be “a clear indication of their defeat and disappointment.”

“America, its invading allies… along with all international arrogant organizations have been handed a clear-cut defeat in this lopsided war,” the statement read.

The group also warned that it would continue its fight against foreign invaders.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would continue its financial support for the 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police forces who are to be in control of the country.

On Sunday, US President Barack Obama also said the conclusion of Washington’s combat mission was a “milestone.”

Kabul and Washington recently signed the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), under which US troops can remain in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

NATO says the forces will focus more narrowly on counterterrorism and on training Afghan soldiers and policemen. Under the new mission, the US-led forces will also enter into operations against the Taliban or intervene with airstrikes in support of the Afghan military.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when the US-led invasion of the country toppled its government.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also started operations in the war-torn nation two years later, in 2003.