US troops leave Afghanistan's airbase after nearly two decades

US and NATO troops have left the biggest air base in Afghanistan, a US defence official told AFP Friday, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country after two decades of war was imminent.  The infamous airfield had been the site of several military encounters, particularly the epicenter of the US 'war on terror' in Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attacks. The Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has been the site of the US military's war against the Taliban and the al-Qaida terrorist outfits. It remained staffed by the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Force for nearly 20 years, while rotating units of the US Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps also used the airfield as a base.

Earlier, US president Joe Biden had promised that US troops would leave Afghanistan completely by September 11. The current withdrawal of the 2,500-3,500 US troops from the Bagram airbase is a clear indication of a follow-up on that promise. It was clear soon after the mid-April announcement that the US was ending its “forever war” that the departure of U.S. soldiers and their estimated 7,000 NATO allies would be nearer to July 4, when America celebrates its Independence Day. Currently, the United States harbours around 6,500 troops in Afghanistan to protect the American embassy in Kabul. However, it has not yet been divulged when the very last US soldier will leave Afghanistan, for security reasons.