2013 Withdrawals Increases

Northern Lion
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Bob J. Sise, left, patrols with Georgian soldiers during Operation Northern Lion II in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 3, 2013. Sise is assigned to Georgian Liaison Team

2013 was the year that increased the pace of turning over the security of Afghanistan to the Afghani army. In the Spring of 2013, the official security for the company had been transferred to the Afghanistan army and police. There were 350,000 Afghanistan military and police personnel at the end of 2013 while 100,000 international troops were still in place at the end of the year to help them.