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Agencies

All US and Nato troops have left the biggest airbase in Afghanistan, a US defence official said on Friday, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country after two decades of war was imminent.
Bagram Airfield served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.
“All coalition forces are off Bagram,” said the official – who asked not to be identified – without specifying when the last foreign troops left the base, 50km (30 miles) north of Kabul.
He did not say when it will be officially handed over to Afghan forces.
Donald Rumsfeld, architect of Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dies aged 88
“We still have not been informed of any official handover of the base to Afghan forces,” a senior Afghan official said on condition of anonymity.
The US military and Nato are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, bringing home an unspecified number of remaining troops by a deadline of September 11.


The Taliban have launched relentless offensives across Afghanistan in the past two months, gobbling up dozens of districts as Afghan security forces have largely consolidated their power in the country’s major urban areas.
The ability of Afghan forces to maintain control over the vital Bagram airfield will likely prove pivotal to maintaining security in the nearby capital Kabul and keeping pressure on the Taliban.
Over the years, the mini-city has been visited by hundreds of thousands of US and Nato service members and contractors.
US days away from completing Afghanistan withdrawal as last German troops leave
It boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas – and even a boardwalk featuring fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.
The base also hosted a prison that held thousands of Taliban and jihadist inmates.
Bagram was built by the US for its Afghan ally during the Cold War in the 1950s as a bulwark against the Soviet Union in the north.


Ironically, it became the staging point for the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979, and the Red Army expanded it significantly during their near decade-long occupation.
When Moscow pulled out, it became central to the raging civil war – it was reported that at one point the Taliban controlled one end of the 3km runway and the opposition Northern Alliance the other.
In recent months, Bagram has come under rocket barrages claimed by the jihadist Islamic State, stirring fears that militants are already eyeing the base for future attacks.
The Nato-led non-combat mission aimed to train Afghan forces into ensuring their country’s security after the departure of foreign forces.
Hundreds of US troops to remain in Afghanistan to secure embassy, Kabul airport
As of February 2021, there were about 9,500 foreign troops in Afghanistan, of which the US made up the largest contingent of 2,500.

The US has refused to say when the last US soldier would leave Afghanistan, citing security concerns.
The protection of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport was still being negotiated. Turkish and US soldiers currently are protecting the airport.
So far Germany and Italy have both confirmed the full withdrawal of their troops.
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Reuters


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US vacates Bagram airbase, Afghanistan withdrawal imminent

A US military transport aircraft landing at Bagram on Thursday. Photo: AFP

American soldiers step off Chinook transport helicopters at Bagram Air Base after battling al-Qaida and Taliban forces in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, Tuesday, March 12, 2002. Hundreds of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division have returned since Sunday. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)

Donald Rumsfeld, architect of Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dies aged 88

Donald Rumsfeld in 2004. File photo: EPA

FILE: U.S. President George W. Bush, left, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld attend the dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Air Force Memorial October 14, 2006 in Arlington, Virginia. Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary who became the face of U.S. foreign policy under President George W. Bush while the administration’s troop deployments toppled hostile regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, has died on June 30, 2021.. He was 88. Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Pool/Bloomberg

US military days away from completing Afghanistan withdrawal as last German troops leave

The German military concluded its withdrawal from Afghanistan after almost two decades, finishing Germany’s deadliest military mission since World War II. Photo: DPA

An Afghan Army soldier walks at the gate of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Friday, June 25, 2021. In 2001 the armies of the world united behind America and Bagram Air Base, barely an hours drive from the Afghan capital Kabul, was chosen as the epicenter of Operation Enduring Freedom, as the assault on the Taliban rulers was dubbed. It’s now nearly 20 years later and the last US soldier is soon to depart the base. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

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

The US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. File photo: US State Department

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, previously known as Kabul International Airport, in Afghanistan, February 11, 2016. Picture taken February 11, 2016. AfghanistanLM REUTERS/Ahmad Masood/File Photo

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Departure ends the US military’s presence at Afghanistan’s most significant airfield
Airbase was used to launch air strikes against the Taliban in the 20-year-long war



After nearly 20 years, the US military has left Bagram, the epicentre of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda.


US vacates Bagram airbase, Afghanistan withdrawal imminent

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Departure ends the US military’s presence at Afghanistan’s most significant airfield Airbase was used to launch air strikes against the Taliban in the 20-year-long war

Departure ends the US military’s presence at Afghanistan’s most significant airfield

Airbase was used to launch air strikes against the Taliban in the 20-year-long war