US Withdraw Troops From Their Longest War In Afghanistan

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - US troops pulled out of their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, effectively ending the longest war in US history.

The US troop withdrawal comes as the Taliban insurgency steps up its offensive across the country after peace talks faltered.

The US Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon, said the handover of the Bagram military base to Afghan security forces was a "significant milestone" in the withdrawal.

However, the Pentagon insists that the US military still has the authority to protect Afghan forces. He did not give a timeline for when that authority would end.

"That authority still exists," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

President Joe Biden said troop departures were on track, but some American troops would still be in Afghanistan in September as part of a "rational pullout with allies."

"I want to talk about happy things, man," Biden said.

"It's a holiday weekend. I'm going to celebrate. There's a lot of great things going on."

Bagram, an hour's drive north of Kabul, is where the US military coordinates its air warfare and logistical support for the entire Afghan mission. The Taliban thanked them for the US troops leaving.

"We consider this withdrawal as a positive step. Afghans can be closer to stability and peace with the full withdrawal of foreign troops," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Other Afghans are more cautious. "America must leave Afghanistan and there must be peace in this country," said Kabul resident Javed Arman.

But he added, "We are in a difficult situation. Most people have left their districts and some districts have fallen. Seven districts in Paktia Province have fallen and are now under Taliban control."

More than 3,500 international troops have died in Afghanistan. A Western diplomat in Kabul said Washington and its NATO allies had "won many battles, but lost the Afghanistan war.

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At the Bagram military base, the CIA runs a detention center. At the facility, suspected terrorists were subjected to harassment -- an act that President Barack Obama later called torture.

The base later developed into a vast fortified city for a large international military force. Inside, there is a fast food restaurant, fitness center, and cafe serving excellent coffees.

The two runways at the Bagram military base were constantly roaring. The president flew to the location and gave a speech; celebrities also came and shared funny stories.

An Afghan official said the base would be formally handed over through a ceremony on Saturday, July 3.

US officials told Reuters that most of the troops had left Afghanistan ahead of the schedule set by Biden, the US president who had promised they would be home by September 11.

General Austin Miller, currently the top US commander in Afghanistan, will leave the country in the coming days. He handed command to General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads US Central Command, the Pentagon said.

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