Hundreds of US troops to remain in Afghanistan to secure embassy, Kabul airport

Roughly 650 US troops were expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, US officials said.

In addition, several hundred additional American forces will remain at the Kabul airport, potentially until September, to assist Turkish troops providing security, as a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said. Overall, officials said the US expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership and most troops out by July 4, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago.

Officials have repeatedly stressed that security at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul was a critical requirement to keeping any US diplomatic staff in Afghanistan. Still, the decision to keep additional troops there for several more months makes it more complicated for the Biden administration to declare a true end to America’s longest war until later this fall.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that as Biden has ordered, the US would complete the withdrawal by early September. “Nothing has changed about that goal.” Kirby said. “The situation is dynamic, and we review our progress daily. Speculation by unnamed sources about potential changes to that timeline should not be construed as predictive.”