Troop withdrawal in final phase, 7 facilities handed over to Afghan military: US

The United States on Tuesday said that it has handed over as many as seven facilities to the Afghanistan military. The statement comes amid the US conducting a full withdrawal of its forces in the Asian nation. The Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday said that America had completed over 95% of its troop withdrawal. The statement said that the process of pulling out US military from Afghanistan was in its final phase.

“The US has officially handed over seven facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense,” CENTCOM said.

Earlier this year, US President Joe Biden had announced a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Since then, the Department of Defense has retrograded the equivalent of approximately 984 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan. The department has also earmarked over 17,000 pieces of equipment for disposition.

“The United States has increased airstrikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we’re prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, Commander CENTCOM during his just-concluded visit to Kabul.

The general said that US would continue carrying out airstrikes to support the Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban.

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President Biden said in April US troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of August, ending a 20-year foreign military presence.

The Taliban in recent days has swept across Afghanistan, pushing back the Afghan military and taking over significant swaths of territory as the US nears the ends of its withdrawal.

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Approximately 650 troops are set to remain in the country to secure the US diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, including the embassy, and to assist in securing Kabul’s international airport, which is a necessary facility for the movement of diplomats.