Last US Troops Depart Hub of Afghanistan Operations
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The last U.S. troops will leave Bagram Airfield near Kabul, Afghanistan in the coming days, ending operations at what served as the U.S. military's hub in the country for roughly two decades. The move will leave fewer than 1,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan reportedly met Afghani President Ashraf Ghani Friday to discuss "continued assistance and co-operation." Meanwhile, reports across the spectrum suggest that Taliban militants are gaining strength throughout the country
The news made headlines across the spectrum Friday; many news sources on all sides republished the same in-depth report from the Associated Press. Both left- and right-rated outlets framed the U.S. departure in the context of rising Taliban advances across Afghanistan and concerns about the Afghan government's ability to defend itself. Other reports, particularly from the right, highlighted President Joe Biden's exchange with reporters who inquired about the news on Friday, in which he criticized their questioning as "negative."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
As the Taliban gain ground, how long can the U.S. Embassy in Kabul stand?The situation in Afghanistan is grim. An occupying army is withdrawing its last troops, bombs are besieging Kabul and the country appears on the verge of a civil war. U.S. diplomats believe they can't count on the shaky Afghan government to survive, much less protect them.
It's Jan. 30, 1989, two weeks until the last Soviet forces leave, and U.S. officials have just closed the American Embassy in Kabul, while promising “the United States will return.” But they wouldn’t reopen the diplomatic mission until January 2002, after the U.S. came back to Afghanistan...
From the Right
Biden annoyed by repeated questions on Afghanistan: 'I'm not going to answer ... It's a holiday weekend'President Biden grew irked Friday with repeated press questions about the Afghanistan troop drawdown, saying he didn't want to answer any more on the topic because it was a holiday weekend.
Following remarks on a positive June jobs report, Biden took multiple questions about the situation in Afghanistan, where the country faces a possible fall to the Taliban as U.S. forces are withdrawn. After receiving questions on the nation's security issues and the withdrawal timeline, Biden said he wanted to talk about "happy things."
"I'm not going to answer any more … Look,...
From the Center
Bagram: Last US and Nato forces leave key Afghanistan baseThe last US and Nato forces have left Afghanistan's Bagram airbase, the centre of the war against militants for some 20 years.
The pull-out could signal that the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is imminent.
President Joe Biden has said US forces will be gone by 11 September.
But the withdrawal from the sprawling base, north of Kabul, comes as the main jihadist group, the Taliban, advances in many parts of Afghanistan.
The 11 September deadline is the anniversary of the attacks on America in 2001, which killed...
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