U.S. Marines board a C-130 transport plane as they withdraw from Camp Leatherneck, their huge base in southern Afghanistan. This marked the biggest handover yet to the Afghan army, which is facing a tough fight with the Taliban in Helmand province and other parts of southern Afghanistan. Wakil Koshar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
U.K. armed forces and U.S. Marines have ended combat operations in Afghanistan. In a formal handover, British troops stood with peers from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Afghan National Security Forces as the Union Flag and Stars and Stripes were lowered for the last time at the Bastion-Leatherneck complex Sunday. Sergeant Obi Igbo, RLC/AP hide caption
An Afghan woman addicted to drugs looks out from her hut on the outskirts of Herat, in western Afghanistan. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar (right) and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham exchange documents after signing the Bilateral Security Agreement, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (rear, left) and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the background. Jawad Jalali/EPA/Landov hide caption
Ashraf Ghani (second from left) stands next to Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah (left) and two deputy officials as he takes the oath during the inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul on Monday. Ahmad Massoud/Xinhua/Landov hide caption
Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah, left, and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai shake hands after signing a power-sharing pact in Kabul Sunday. The first vote in the election was held in April; a runoff followed in June. Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Abdullah Abullah (left) and Ashraf Ghani, shown here on August 8, have been contesting the results of Afghanistan's runoff presidential election for months. They are expected to sign a power-sharing deal on Sunday. Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Nicaragua's Contra rebels in 1990. The U.S. backed the Contras in the 1980s, which led to the ouster of the leftist Sandinista leadership. But the U.S. aid violated American law and contributed to the biggest scandal of President Reagan's administration. Michael Stravato/AP hide caption
An Afghan firefighter emerges from the smoke from a fire in a Kabul clothing market in 2012. The fire department is remarkably professional in a city where few institutions function. Mohammad Ismail/Reuters /Landov hide caption
A U.S. soldier stands guard near a damaged vehicle at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul on Tuesday. Mohammad Ismail/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Many Afghans who have worked as interpreters with the U.S. and other Western governments are trying to get visas to leave. "Mohammad," an interpreter, joined two former British soldiers last year in that country to call on Britain to grant Afghan interpreters asylum. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption
An Afghan policeman searches a man at a checkpoint where a NATO soldier was stabbed to death in Kabul on Aug. 20. As U.S. and NATO troops are drawing down in Afghanistan, the Taliban have been stepping up attacks this summer. Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Afghan election commission worker sorts ballots for an audit. Rahmat Gul/AP hide caption