Blast walls and a few buildings can be seen Monday at Bagram Airfield after the U.S. military left the Afghan base in Parwan province north of Kabul.
Rahmat Gul/AP
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Rahmat Gul/AP
Blast walls and a few buildings can be seen Monday at Bagram Airfield after the U.S. military left the Afghan base in Parwan province north of Kabul.
Rahmat Gul/AP
Five days after the final U.S. soldiers left Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is protecting itself from criticism by Afghan military officials who have actually accused the U.S. of covertly slipping out overnight, shutting down the electrical energy and prompting a security lapse that allowed looters to scavenge the centers prior to Afghan soldiers had the ability to retake control. It is the newest mishap in the U.S. military withdrawal from the nation after 20 years of military presence, a procedure President Biden has actually promised will be total by Sept. 11. Bagram Airfield, about an hours drive from Kabul, was the center of operations for the longest-running war in U.S. history. It housed 10s of countless soldiers at its peak, with airplanes and helicopters going and coming at all hours. A story released Monday by The Associated Press cited Afghan military authorities in reporting that U.S. forces had left the base overnight without informing the new Afghan leader. “We (heard) some rumor that the Americans had left Bagram … and lastly by seven oclock in the early morning, we comprehended that it was verified that they had actually currently left Bagram,” Gen. Mir Asadullah Kohistani, the brand-new leader at Bagram, told the AP.
Five days after the final U.S. soldiers left Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is safeguarding itself from criticism by Afghan military authorities who have actually accused the U.S. of privately slipping out overnight, shutting off the electrical energy and prompting a security lapse that allowed looters to scavenge the facilities before Afghan soldiers were able to retake control. A story published Monday by The Associated Press mentioned Afghan military authorities in reporting that U.S. forces had left the base overnight without alerting the brand-new Afghan leader. Kirby firmly insisted the U.S. withdrawal from Bagram had been interacted to high-level Afghan officials, stating the “last conversations”– consisting of a joint walk-through of the centers– happened approximately 48 hours ahead of the departure. “There was coordination with Afghan leaders, both in the federal government as well as in the Afghan security forces, about the eventual turnover of Bagram air base,” he stated. With Bagram now in the hands of the Afghan security forces, more than an approximated 90% of the U.S. withdrawal is now complete, according to an announcement Tuesday from U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby decreased to contest the Afghan commanders statement that he had not been briefed on the departure. But Kirby insisted the U.S. withdrawal from Bagram had been interacted to top-level Afghan authorities, stating the “last conversations”– including a joint walk-through of the centers– happened roughly 48 hours ahead of the departure. “It wasnt done in some sort of shroud of secrecy,” Kirby said, though he added the precise time of departure was not shared in advance with Afghan officials due to security concerns. “There was coordination with Afghan leaders, both in the federal government along with in the Afghan security forces, about the eventual turnover of Bagram air base,” he said. “It was the seventh and the final base that we committed the Afghan National Security Forces. You dont do that in a vacuum, and this wasnt performed in a vacuum.” The AP likewise reported that Bagrams electrical power was shut off within 20 minutes of the Americans departure, causing a security lapse at the entryway to the base that allowed a “little army of looters” to raid barracks and storage facilities prior to Afghan soldiers had the ability to retake control. Both Kirby and White House spokesperson Jen Psaki decreased Tuesday to discuss the electricity. A senior military authorities, talking to NPR on condition of privacy due to the fact that this person is not licensed to talk to journalism, described the shut-off as the outcome of “miscommunication.”.
The disagreement over the departure from Bagram is emblematic of the challenge dealt with by the U.S. as it attempts to balance its objectives of ending a two-decade-old war unpopular with the American public while likewise assuring Afghans it is not deserting the nation at a minute of growing violence from the Taliban. With Bagram now in the hands of the Afghan security forces, more than an estimated 90% of the U.S. withdrawal is now complete, according to an announcement Tuesday from U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. The American military objective in Afghanistan officially comes to an end on Sept. 11, but authorities have actually said they expect the pullout to be complete by mid-August.
