( CNN ) -- When Afghan forces repelled a barrage of attacks from insurgents near Kabul 's green zone over the weekend it was hailed as proof of how far local security forces had come . `` They were on scene immediately , well-led and well-coordinated , '' said General John Allen , the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan . Afghan president Hamid Karzai said it showed the country 's forces would be able to defend their country after international forces leave . Karzai : Afghan forces ready to defend nation . Then on Tuesday , Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her country would pull its troops out months earlier expected -- by early 2014 -- citing an improvement in the security situation . `` We continue to see steady gains in the fight against the Afghan insurgency , '' Gillard said , in a speech in Canberra . Australia plans Afghan exit . Australia 's 1,550 troops in Afghanistan are a fraction of the overall number of foreign troops deployed to keep a lid on the country 's insurgency more than ten years after allied airstrikes marked the start of Operation Enduring Freedom . How many international troops are operating in Afghanistan ? More than 130,000 troops from 50 countries are currently operating in Afghanistan , according to the International Security and Assistance Force ( ISAF ) . The United States is the biggest contributor , providing around 90,000 troops , followed by the United Kingdom ( 9,500 ) , Germany ( 4,800 ) and France ( 3,600 ) . The international force has been there since 2001 , shortly after the al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. on September 11 . The campaign was launched to stop the Taliban from providing a safe haven for al Qaeda fighters , and to stop the terror group 's use of Afghanistan as a base for its future activities . How long are they there for ? In June 2011 , U.S. President Barack Obama announced that U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan would end by 2014 . At that time there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in the country , following a 30,000-strong troop `` surge '' in December 2009 to help bolster the campaign against the Taliban . In February this year , U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the U.S. hoped to end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013 , transitioning primarily to a training role as Afghan forces take more responsibility for security . Panetta : Polls wo n't change Afghan strategy . Some countries have already pulled out of the country . Canada , which once headed the ISAF mission , pulled out almost all of its 3,000 soldiers at the end of 2011 . Norway also withdrew almost all of its 500 troops during this period . France announced in February that it would begin an early draw down , and that all 4,000 of its troops would be gone by 2013 . Germany plans to pull out some troops next year , with the remainder leaving in 2014 . Britain , the second-biggest contributor of troops , plans to hand over its security operations to local forces by the end of 2013 , before continuing in a `` supporting role '' from 2014 . How well trained are Afghan security forces ? The Afghan forces who fought off an 18-hour multi-pronged Taliban attack in Kabul earlier this week are some of the best trained in the country , according to analysts . The crisis response group is based in the capital and has received training from U.S. special forces . Afghan forces repel attacks . `` That would be the equal of any other unit of its type in the region , '' said James Brown , a military associate at the Lowy Institute in Sydney . `` It 's got it own intelligence assets , which it did n't have three years ago . They 've got their own Afghan aviation assets , helicopters , that can respond to these kind of events . So yes , they are getting better at responding to high-profile events in Kabul -- but the Taliban are getting better as well . '' This latter point is picked up by other analysts . `` I think there has to be a real question mark over the long-term prospects for Afghanistan , '' said Andrew Davies , of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute . `` I think there are some reasons to be cautiously optimistic over the ability of Afghan forces . But ultimately the future of Afghanistan will be determined by the factions inside Afghanistan . I think if the last 10 years has shown us anything , then the ability of the outside world to influence the future of Afghanistan in the long term is fairly minimal . '' What 's next ? Gillard 's announcement of Australia 's troop draw down precedes an announcement from President Karzai at a summit on Afghanistan in Chicago in May . The Afghan leader is expected to announce that a third tranche of provinces will be handed back to full Afghan control , including Uruzgan , where most of the Australian troops are based . A clearer split of financial contributions may also emerge at the summit , with the annual cost of funding the Afghan security forces after 2014 estimated to be $ 4.1 billion . `` The U.S. will probably pay a big part of that and I think the UK will also chip in , '' said Brown . `` You may not see much from the Europeans . But there might be some funding commitments from Japan , '' he added .
Australia 's 50 troops in Afghanistan a fraction of the overall number of foreign troops deployed . Taliban announces plans to pull them out early citing an improvement in security . Weekend attacks seen as a marker of how far Australian security forces have improved . More than 130,000 troops from More than 130,000 countries are currently operating in Australia .