Historical Organization
ISAF
ISAF
Details
Organization Timeline
UN authorizes the ISAF security force
📅 20 December 2001The Security Council adopted Resolution 1386, authorizing the International Security Assistance Force to support the Afghan Interim Authority in Kabul and surrounding areas. The initial mandate was...
NATO assumes command of ISAF in Kabul
📅 11 August 2003NATO took command of the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), initially operating in and around Kabul. The alliance’s first mission beyond the Euro-Atlantic area later...
NATO announces expansion of ISAF into western Afghanistan
📅 10 February 2005NATO announced that ISAF would expand into western Afghanistan, extending the international force beyond Kabul and the northern provinces. The expansion joined reconstruction and security operations...
ISAF assumes command of the southern region
📅 31 July 2006NATO-led ISAF took command of the southern region from the U.S.-led coalition, adding six provinces including Helmand and Kandahar. The change expanded NATO’s direct role in areas where the Taliban...
ISAF expansion covers eastern Afghanistan
📅 5 October 2006NATO-led ISAF took command of international forces in eastern Afghanistan, completing its expansion across the country. The result was a nationwide NATO-led military mission, while Afghan institutions...
Operation Moshtarak drives displacement from Marjah
📅 13 February 2010Afghan and international forces launched Operation Moshtarak to retake Marjah and assert state authority. UN agencies later estimated about 27,700 people displaced from Marjah and Nad Ali since 8...
Afghan forces take the lead for security nationwide
📅 18 June 2013President Hamid Karzai announced the final tranche of the transition process, placing Afghan security forces in the lead nationwide while ISAF shifted toward a supporting role. Afghan forces assumed...
NATO formally ends the ISAF combat mission
📅 28 December 2014NATO formally completed ISAF after a three-year transition that transferred the security lead to Afghan forces. The end of ISAF did not end foreign military involvement or the war: a smaller NATO...