Jul 6, 2021 - World

U.S. military says Afghanistan withdrawal is 90% complete

Erin Doherty

Afghan National Army keep watch after the US forces left Bagram airfield in the north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2021. — Afghan National Army keeps watch after U.S. forces left Bagram Airfield. Photo: Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

More than 90% of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has been completed, U.S. Central Command estimated in an update published Tuesday.

Why it matters: The milestone, a full two months before President Biden's goal of withdrawing all U.S. forces by Sept. 11, comes amid concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, as the Taliban seizes vast swathes of territory on the battlefield.

State of play: The last remaining U.S. forces are expected to exit the country by the end of August, AP reports.

The U.S. has officially handed over seven facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, according to the update.
Last week, U.S. forces left Bagram Airfield at night without notifying the base's new Afghan commander. The departure came after nearly 20 years of using the facility as the center of its war to oust the Taliban and search for the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Worth noting: CENTCOM said it would no longer be updating specific percentage updates of its withdrawal, citing security concerns.

Go deeper: Biden cuts off questions about Afghanistan amid growing Taliban concerns

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U.S. military says Afghanistan withdrawal is 90% complete

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