The greatest massacre of British soldiers in the history of the British Empire happened in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is well-known as ‘graveyard of empires.’ No one could win power in Afghanistan although the British tried and the Russians tried. What fate is awaiting the US-led forces in Afghanistan? They might not face what British and Russians suffered. The nature, goals and objectives of the current war varies from wars fought by British and USSR.

There should be a difference between a war fought to occupy a country and a war fought to free the people of country from terrorist groups such as Taliban and al Qaida. After almost eleven years of counter-terrorism war, it is hard to say whether the NATO allies are winning or losing in Afghanistan.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan would not be possible, if the security sector of Afghanistan is not bolstered. Although the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) has a long way to go, it can be counted as one of the major achievements of the international community in Afghanistan.

The greatest merit of the presence of international troops in Afghanistan is that it has made creation and growth of ANSF possible. It in fact speaks of the growing capabilities of ANSF that more than 75 percent of security responsibilities of Afghanistan has been transferred to it.

There are serious concerns among Afghans over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. Amidst that, ANSF serves as the ultimate hope of the people and government of Afghanistan. It expected that considerable number of foreign troops would remain in Afghanistan to continue supporting and training the ANSF and keeping eye over the activities of terrorist networks such as al Qaida.

The international forces will withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the next year. The greatest challenge for Afghan government will be preventing the 11-year gains of Afghanistan in various ways made possible by consistent support from the international community.

If there is a comprehensive plan for dealing the post-2014 threats to stability and gains of Afghanistan, there is no doubt that victory would be gained against the insurgents who are threatening security not only in Afghanistan but also pose serious threats to regional and global security. However, if the Afghan government and its international backers failed to make appropriate use of the time, Afghanistan might fall into a chaotic situation.