report in Khaama Press, 28 Nov 2020 at 01:24 PM
America closed at least 10 bases across Afghanistan, following the signing of a peace deal with the Taliban in February, Washington Post reports.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is being moved back to the Persian Gulf along with other warships to provide combat and air support as the troops withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15, 2020.
Afghan and American officials confirmed the closure of the bases, several of which were not previously reported.
Little is known about what remains of those bases, and that many were in the country’s most volatile provinces.
According to the report, some were completely handed over to Afghan security forces, others are vacated in a way in which they could be occupied again if the US and Officials consider it necessary.
It is unclear how much immobile equipment is left at each of the closed bases.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed on the plan to reduce American troops to 2500 by mid-January, saying getting the troops out of harm’s way in Afghanistan is the mission set.
“President Trump has been very clear we’re going to protect and secure the homeland, but we’re not going to have our young men and women in harm’s way when it doesn’t deliver real security benefits for the United States and for our allies,” Fox News quoted Pompeo.
“The president to date has said that we’re going to go from where we are today, something just over 4,000, to around 2,500” troops” Pompeo said to Fox News, adding that “the threat from terrorism around the world — from Islamic extremism, Islamic terrorism — is real. It doesn’t just emanate from Afghanistan”.
Earlier this week NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, quick troops withdrawal is a threat to gain, “we have made and that is a risky project”.
Violence in Afghanistan has escalated despite peace efforts in Doha and U.S-Taliban agreement, clashes have spread to more than 20 provinces according to MoD.
