European troops quietly return from Afghanistan

Most European troops have already pulled out of Afghanistan, quietly withdrawing months before the U.S.-led mission was officially expected to end — part of an anticlimactic close to the "forever war" that risks leaving the country on the brink of civil war.

Announcements from several countries analyzed by The Associated Press show that a majority of European troops has now left with little ceremony — a stark contrast to the dramatic and public show of force and unity when NATO allies lined up to back the U.S. invasion to rid the country of Al Qaeda after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In the ensuing decades, the war went from one mission to another. Former U.S. President George W. Bush's administration shied away from nation-building, and the United Nations advocated a light footprint. But with the passing years, NATO and U.S. troops took on greater roles developing Afghanistan's National Security and Defense Forces and training police. At the war's peak, the U.S. and NATO military numbers surpassed 150,000.