Status: 07/02/2021 8:24 a.m.
After almost 20 years of presence in Afghanistan, NATO and US troops have evacuated their largest military base, Bagram. That suggests the full withdrawal from the country is imminent.
US and NATO soldiers have left the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. This was announced by a senior US military official. US media reports said the base had been handed over to the Afghan security forces.
The official added that the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, continues to have all the skills and powers to protect the force. The Afghan Ministry of Defense did not initially comment on this.
Bagram is the largest US and NATO military base in Afghanistan. At times, up to 30,000 troops were stationed at the base, which is 50 kilometers from the capital, Kabul. There is also a prison on the premises where Taliban fighters and Islamist extremists were held.
Will be withdrawn soon?
Most of the NATO soldiers have already withdrawn from Afghanistan. This was gradually started at the end of April. Several military bases have already been handed over to the Afghan army. The departure from Bagram now indicates that the complete withdrawal of international troops is imminent. An exact date for this was not known recently. The US government referred to security concerns and the protection of the international airport in Kabul, which is still under negotiation.
US President Joe Biden had announced that all troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11th – the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA. The 9/11 attacks sparked the US military invasion.
With the withdrawal of troops, however, violence in Afghanistan has also increased sharply in recent weeks. The peace talks between the radical Islamic Taliban and the Afghan government are not progressing. Observers warn that the security situation in the country could worsen without NATO troops.