Germany and Italy have completed the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan, the defense ministries of both countries announced, ending a nearly 20-year deployment in the country alongside the U.S. and other international forces.

The Tuesday announcement of the pull-out of German troops, whose presence there was second only to the U.S. forces, came as the U.S. aims to complete its own withdrawal by Sept. 11.

“After nearly 20 years of deployment, the last soldiers of our Bundeswehr have left Afghanistan this evening. They are on the way back. A historic chapter comes to an end, an intensive deployment that challenged and shaped the Bundeswehr, in which the Bundeswehr proved itself in combat”, - said German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

On Twitter, the minister offered her thanks to all the 150,000 men and women who had served there since 2001, saying they could be proud of their service.

Meanwhile, Rome announced its full withdrawal Wednesday.

“Last night, the Italian mission in Afghanistan officially ended. However, the international community’s commitment to Afghanistan, starting with Italy, does not end here. It will continue in other forms, from strengthening development cooperation to supporting Afghan republican institutions”, - said Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini.

According to the ministry, 50,000 Italian soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Over that period, 53 soldiers died and 723 were injured.