US Troops And Their Western Allies Departed Bagram Airfield Today, Effectively Ending Major US Military Operations In Afghanistan

 

Boston Globe: US leaves last Afghan base, effectively ending operations  

KABUL — US troops and their Western allies have departed Bagram Airfield, the last active air base used by the US military in Afghanistan, officials said Friday, effectively ending major US military operations in Afghanistan. 

With little fanfare and no public ceremony, US troops left the base Thursday night, US and Afghan officials said, even as the Taliban sweeps through the country’s northern provinces, capturing large swaths of territory. 

The closure, a symbol of the United States’ costly operations in Afghanistan, turned over to the Afghan government the sprawling installation from which the United States waged war for nearly two decades. 

The departure from the base weeks before the planned withdrawal of US troops in mid-July and months before President Biden’s announced Sept. 11 departure highlights Washington’s efforts to signal two different messages: one to the US public that its longest foreign war is ending, and another to the Afghan government that the United States is not abandoning the country in the middle of a Taliban offensive.

Bagram was operating at full capacity until the end Thursday. Fighter jets, cargo planes, and surveillance aircraft relied on the twin runways until it was no longer feasible to keep them in the country. 

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WNU Editor: No ceremonies. No parades. No formal transfer of the base to the Afghan military. no pictures or videos. They left late at night not with a bang, but with a whimper. 

More News On US Troops And Their Western Allies Departing Bagram Airfield Today  

Era ends, uncertainty looms as U.S. forces quit main Afghanistan base -- Reuters  

US vacates key Afghan base; pullout target now ‘late August’ -- AP  

Last US, NATO troops leave Afghanistan’s Bagram air base after almost 20 years -- France 24  

US troops leave Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase after nearly 20 years -- The Guardian 

US troops vacate Afghan airbase after nearly 20 years -- The Hill  

A timeline of more than 40 years of war in Afghanistan -- AP  

From wasteland to bustling base, last U.S. forces say goodbye to Bagram -- Reuters