Cold-war alliance Nato held a ceremony in Kabul yesterday formally ending its war in Afghanistan after 13 years of conflict that have left the country shattered.

The event was arranged in secret due to the threat of Taliban strikes in the Afghan capital.

On January 1, the so-called International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) mission, which has suffered 3,485 military deaths since 2001, will be replaced by a Nato “training and support” mission.

About 12,500 foreign troops staying in Afghanistan will supposedly not be involved in direct fighting, but will assist the Afghan army and police in the battle against the Taliban.

When numbers peaked in 2011, about 130,000 troops from 50 nations were part of the Nato military alliance.

Isaf commander and US General John Campbell led yesterday afternoon’s ceremony at the force’s headquarters in Kabul.

“In just a few days, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over,” US President Barack Obama had said in his Christmas Day address.

“Our longest war will come to a responsible end.”

Yesterday’s ceremony completed the gradual handover of responsibility to the 350,000-strong Afghan forces, who have been in charge of nationwide security since the middle of last year.

But recent bloodshed has undermined claims that the Taliban forces are weakening and highlighted the fact that the international intervention has failed to stem spiralling violence but instead encouraged it.

The United Nations says that civilian casualties hit a record high in 2014, jumping by 19 per cent to 3,188 civilians killed by the end of November.

Afghan’s police and army have also suffered a heavy death toll, with fatalities soaring to more than 4,600 in the first 10 months of 2014.

“The US and Nato mission has been an absolute failure, as today’s ceremony shows,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“They are fleeing from Afghanistan. They have not reached their goals in defeating the Afghan mojahedin.”

US commanders insist that Afghan security forces can hold the line against the Taliban despite concerns of a repeat of Iraq, where the US-trained army collapsed.