World3 min(s) read
Published 11:07 09 Jun 2021 GMT
The Pentagon has announced that the United States military has withdrawn over half its forces from Afghanistan.
Per CNBC News, US Central Command estimated in an official statement that it had "completed greater than 50 percent of the entire retrograde process."
A spokesperson for the Pentagon claimed the US Military has "retrograded the equivalent of approximately 500 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and have turned nearly 13,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition."
Approximately 3,000 American service members have been removed from Afghanistan, and a further six facilities have been handed over to the Afghan military to use for counterterrorism missions.
U.S. Central Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie told CNBC:
"It is our intention to continue to be able to go after al Qaeda and ISIS from over the horizon, from other locations in the theater and we’re working now with friends in the region to establish that capability as we go forward."
President Joe Biden pledged to fully withdraw all American troops from the country by September 11, 2021 - on what will be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which then necessitated the invasion of Afghanistan.
Per BBC News, President Biden claimed in a speech from the White House made in April that it was "time to end America's longest war".
Biden stated: "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result.
"While we will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue. We will continue to support the government of Afghanistan."
BBC reports that the deal signed in February 2020 by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, initially claimed that the US and its NATO allies would withdraw all troops by May 2021.
However, this was incumbent upon the Taliban upholding promises to prevent terrorist organizations - such as Al-Queda - from operating within its borders.
Yet The New York Post reports that Biden stated that Trump’s withdrawal date would be hard to meet due to "tactical reasons" and would be impossible to accomplish in an orderly fashion.
