Germany and The Netherlands have accepted command of the 4,200-strong multinational peacekeeping force which patrols Kabul.
At a ceremony in the Afghan capital, Turkish Gen Akin Zorlu, who has led the 22-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since June, handed over command of the force to German Gen Norbert van Heyst and Dutch Gen Robert Bertholee.
"We have considerably improved security situation and made a significant contribution to the normalisation of life in the city," Gen Zorlu said.
Gen van Heyst said ISAF would "press forward for peace, which will finally allow us to take ISAF troops home."
The United Nations-mandated force was created in December 2001 after post-conflict talks between Afghan factions in Bonn, Germany. The mandate restricts its deployment to the capital.
ISAF's new leaders are likely to come under pressure from the Afghan government to expand the force into the provinces, where unruly warlords hold sway and President Hamid Karzai's government has little authority.
An apparent surge of violence in recent weeks has seen a string of attacks targeting foreign agencies and calls by extremists for a jihad against the international presence in the central Asian country.
AFP