Monday marked U.S. and British forces withdrawal from Afghanistan following 13 years of combat. Troops ended operations in the Helmand province with a 20-hour secret departure mission, according to the Washington Post. Approximately 24,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, but President Obama plans to reduce this number by half come January 2016. The Helmand province, an area still battling the Taliban, is now in the hands of Afghan security forces, and will determine if the country can limit violence despite a rapid drawdown in troops, according to the Washington Post.
