The United States Begins Withdrawing Troops From Afghanistan, Handing Over Bases And Equipment To The Taliban

Illustration of United States soldiers in Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons/US Army/Staff Sgt.Kyle Davis)

JAKARTA - The commander of the international coalition troops in Afghanistan, General of the United States Army (US) Scott Miller, on Sunday revealed that his party had started an orderly withdrawal of salted troops, followed by the handover of bases and military equipment to Afghan troops.

Miller said he was acting on orders under US President Joe Biden's decision to end America's longest war, considering the prolonged and difficult fighting in Afghanistan no longer in line with American priorities.

Earlier this month, President Biden said he would withdraw troops from Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon in 2001 that sparked the Afghanistan war.

Miller, who has led US forces and the NATO Support Mission in Afghanistan in their fight against the Taliban and other Islamic militant groups since 2018, said foreign forces would continue to have the military means and capabilities to fully protect themselves during the war.

"I had the opportunity to speak to members of the Taliban with the Political Commission of the Taliban, and I have told them that, returning to violence, attempts to enforce military decisions, will be a tragedy for Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan," Miller told reporters in the capital Kabul, as reported by Reuters on Sunday, April 25.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when they were overthrown by US-led forces. Since then they have launched a long-running insurgency and now control much of the territory.

Security experts in recent weeks have said they doubt whether the Taliban will allow US troops, which they call invaders, to leave the country peacefully at a time when clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban have not subsided.

The withdrawal of foreign troops is scheduled to begin on May 1, in line with a 2020 deal with the Taliban.

"When we retreat to zero US troops, we will hand over the (military) bases mainly to the (Afghan) Ministry of Defense and other Afghan forces," Miller said, adding the Taliban had committed to cutting their ties with al-Qaeda.

To note, the Taliban government's protection against Al-Qaeda was the main reason for the US invasion of Afghanistan after the September 2001 attacks. A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and said the Taliban maintained close ties with them. The Taliban denies Al Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan.