- After nearly 20 years, American and coalition soldiers have left Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
- According to the US military, the base has been handed over to the Afghan security forces.
This was announced by a senior US military official. The Afghan Ministry of Defense also confirmed the delivery. The base will be used to fight terrorism.
The official added that the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Austin Scott Miller, still had all the skills and powers to protect the force.
Bagram Air Base is the largest base for coalition forces in Afghanistan and also the headquarters of the US Army in the country. Bagram is located about 40 kilometers north of the capital, Kabul.
The withdrawal from Bagram Air Base is the clearest indication that the last American soldiers have left Afghanistan or are about to withdraw. US President Joe Biden has promised to withdraw all troops by 9/11.
NATO withdrew its forces
It appears that most NATO soldiers have already withdrawn this week. Reports from several countries show that the majority of European troops left without much celebration. The United States has not officially announced the date of the departure of the last American soldiers from Afghanistan for security reasons.
In addition, the protection of the international airport in Kabul is currently still under the task of Resolute Support of the US Army. Until a new agreement to protect the airport is negotiated between Turkey and the Afghan government, and possibly the United States, the mission of Resolute Support will likely continue.
The United States will also have about 6,500 troops in Afghanistan to protect its sprawling embassy in the capital. Their presence is regulated by a bilateral agreement with the Afghan government.
The US and NATO withdrawal comes at a time when the Taliban are on the rise in several parts of the country, sweeping across dozens of provinces and overshadowing the faltering Afghan security forces.
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