U.S. forces withdraw from Bagram base in Afghanistan

Kabul (Reuters)-A U.S. defense official said that under an agreement with the Taliban, U.S. troops withdrew from its main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, allowing all U.S. troops to withdraw after two years of war. Out of the country.

“All U.S. soldiers and members of NATO forces have left Bagram Air Force Base,” the senior U.S. security official said on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. military coordinated air combat and war logistical support at Bagram Air Force Base, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Kabul, and the troop withdrawal marked the end of the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan.

The base is being handed over to the Afghan government because its armed forces are facing a fierce war with the Taliban and questioning their prospects.

An Afghan official said the base will be officially handed over to the government at a ceremony on Saturday.

The U.S. defense official stated that General Austin Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, “still retains all the capabilities and powers to protect the troops stationed in the capital Kabul.”

Two other U.S. security officials said this week that most U.S. military personnel are likely to leave before July 4, and the remaining troops will continue to protect the embassy.

Last month, US President Joe Biden told his Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that “Afghans will have to decide their future and what they want.”

Ghani said that his current job is to “manage the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal.”

The agreement with the Taliban on the withdrawal of American troops was reached under the management of President Donald Trump.

In exchange for the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban vowed to prevent any international terrorism from Afghan territory. They also promised to negotiate with their Afghan opponents, but the negotiations have made little progress.