Final US Soldiers Pack Up And Prepare To Leave Bagram Air Base After Defending It For 20 Years Against The Taliban

 

Daily Mail: Final US soldiers pack up and prepare to leave Bagram Air Base after defending it for 20 years as Taliban sweep across Afghanistan where 2,312 American died and US military spent $816bn 

* Nearly 20 years ago, Bagram Airfield became the heart of American military power in Afghanistan 

* The base, a mini-city behind blast walls, was initially a symbol of the US drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks 

* Now, in just a matter of days, the last US soldiers will have departed Bagram - leaving behind what many consider a strained legacy 

* US Central Command said last week it is well past 50 per cent packing up Bagram 

* The Afghan military will then take over Bagram as part of its continuing fight against the Taliban - and against what many in the country fear will be a new eruption of chaos 

* As the withdrawal date for the US troops approaches, thousands of Afghan translators now face being left stranded because they haven't yet been accepted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) into America 

* The base has been the subject of a number of deadly Taliban attacks over the last two decades with at least 15 American soldiers killed in varying incidents at, or just outside, the base 

* In total, approximately 2,312 American troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001 

For close to 20 years, Bagram Airfield was the heart of American military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls just an hour's drive north of Kabul. 

It was initially a symbol of the US drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks and then of its struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban. 

Now, in just a matter of days, the last US soldiers will have departed Bagram.  

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WNU Editor: The Europeans have already mostly left .... Most European troops exit Afghanistan quietly after 20 years (AP).