War now Afghan versus Afghan

2013 was a year that the ISAF Coalition stepped away from the fighting on the ground. ISAF did conduct some combat related operations such as special operations missions, advising at the tactical level, conducting unilateral missions associated with force protection (route clearance missions, based defense, response to indirect fire attacks, etc.), providing of enablers (fires, MEDEVAC, air support, etc.) to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and a host of other activities. This step away from the ground fighting is reflected in the Coalition casualty figures for 2013 - down sharply from previous years. However, the Afghan National Security Forces (especially the Afghan Local Police) have suffered tremendous casualties.

The insurgency (Taliban and others) did not capture a significant amount of territory this year from the government; but then an insurgency doesn't have to capture territory - it just has to continue to exist. The insurgency was not defeated in 2013 and it is not going away. While the Taliban did not make a lot of significant gains on the ground; neither did the ANSF. A recent news article provides more insight on how the Afghan war has become more an Afghan fight. See "The year it became 'Afghan versus Afghan'", Stars and Stripes, December 30, 2013.