The Taliban has set up observation posts and checkpoints after having largely overrun the areas adjacent to the Afghan-Tajik border, the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colonel Anatoly Sidorov explained. “We’ve seen the Taliban’s outposts. At least for now, we see no …
Read More »Biden defends Afghanistan withdrawal, says Taliban takeover ‘not inevitable’
Facing a surprisingly hostile and rambunctious White House press corps on Thursday, Biden argued that US troops shouldn’t stay in Afghanistan because the Taliban are the strongest they’ve been in 20 years – before backtracking to say they are still less capable than the US-backed Afghan security forces. A Taliban takeover …
Read More »Most UK troops on NATO mission now out of Afghanistan, rest are returning home – PM Johnson
The withdrawal comes 20 years after the US, with British support, launched the so-called “war on terror” against the Taliban in Afghanistan and other groups in response to the 9/11 attacks in America. NATO troops entered the country in 2003. The PM’s announcement was made just days after the Pentagon …
Read More »As American forces leave Afghanistan, Russia may find itself squaring off with the Taliban in defence of its Central Asian allies
Just over 22 years ago, on 15 February 1989, the last few troops of the “Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan” crossed over the Bridge of Friendship linking Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, then a part of the USSR. With that, Moscow’s military campaign in the mountainous nation came to an …
Read More »The US’ haphazard withdrawal from Bagram Air Base shows it never had any clear plan in Afghanistan
The US abandoned the Bagram Airfield “after nearly 20 years by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the base’s new Afghan commander, who discovered the Americans’ departure more than two hours after they left,” the Associated Press news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Afghan …
Read More »As Taliban gains ground, Pentagon says US withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 90% complete
“The withdrawal process continues; US Central Command estimates that we have completed more than 90 percent of the entire withdrawal process,” the military command said in a statement on Tuesday. Central Command added that more than 17,000 pieces of equipment had been transferred to the Defenсe Logistics Agency for disposition, …
Read More »UK to leave small number of elite troops in Afghanistan as ex-MI6 chief warns of likely civil war – media
With Afghan troops retreating, allowing the Taliban to capture swathes of territory, including a key district in Kandahar province, days after the US and its NATO allies pulled out of the coalition’s main base in Afghanistan, the UK now reportedly mulls keeping an “advisory group” of elite special forces soldiers …
Read More »Biden says NO plan for imminent withdrawal of remaining troops in Afghanistan, despite earlier reports
Major news outlets had reported earlier on Friday that troops leaving the Bagram Air Base, one of the largest military sites in Afghanistan, would be followed by a full withdrawal within days. However, Biden dismissed those reports while speaking to reporters at the White House. Asked if a full withdrawal was …
Read More »US asks Afghanistan’s neighbors to shelter its ex-employees who fear Taliban retaliation after troop pullout – media
Afghanistan’s neighbors Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Kazakhstan, may shelter as many as 9,000 Afghans qualified for the so-called Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. It is meant for people who worked for the US government or the NATO-led coalition that invaded Afghanistan two decades ago and now face retribution …
Read More »US troops leave Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, signaling imminent complete withdrawal – reports
Located 40km north of Kabul, Bagram was extensively used by NATO troops during the two-decade presence in the country. The various facilities of the small city-sized locality served to launch air surveillance and bombing missions. A major logistical hub, it provided medical services, hosted visiting US presidents and other senior …
Read More »