US troops withdraw from Afghanistan as part of a Peace Deal
Washington, 15th July: The United States has withdrawn its troops from five bases in Afghanistan.
According to international media reports, the United States has reduced the number of its troops from Afghanistan under an agreement with the Taliban and has withdrawn troops from five bases.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that the number of US troops in Afghanistan is more than 8,000 and that the bases previously held by US forces have now been transferred to our partners.
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“The U.S. military depends on capabilities, not numbers. We maintain the capabilities we need to protect ourselves, our allies and partners, and American interests,” Hoffman said.
Local media reported today that the United States has closed five of its military bases in Afghanistan.
According to reports, these five closed US military bases are in Helmand, Uruzgan, Paktika, and Laghman provinces, in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
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The closure of US bases is part of an agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban movement in late February.
The agreement, among other conditions, provides for the scheduled withdrawal of US troops, which began in March, but was suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to Washington sources.
On the other hand, US Special Representative for the Peace Process Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted on his Twitter account that on the 135th day of the agreement, the two sides reached a “significant milestone”.
We have reached Day 135, a key milestone in implementation of the U.S.-Taliban Agreement. The U.S. has worked hard to carry out the 1st phase of its commitments under the Agreement, including to reduce forces & depart five bases. NATO troops have come down in proportional numbers
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) July 14, 2020
Zalmay Khalilzad said that the United States has worked hard to fulfill the first phase of its promises under the agreement.
Khalilzad warned that when the agreement enters its “next phase”, Washington’s approach will be subject to certain conditions.
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Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, US President Donald Trump has reiterated his resolve to “bring our soldiers back home” from Afghanistan, publicly questioning the purpose of the U.S. military presence in the war-torn region of Afghanistan.
Donald Trump reemphasized his objective amid reports that the ongoing U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan “is well ahead of schedule” outlined in a historical pact signed between the US and Taliban to end the nearly 19-year-old war.
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We are acting as a police force, not the fighting force that we are, in Afghanistan. After 19 years, it is time for them to police their own Country. Bring our soldiers back home but closely watch what is going on and strike with a thunder like never before, if necessary!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
“We are acting as a police force, not the fighting force that we are, in Afghanistan,” Trump tweeted Wednesday. After 19 years, it was time for Afghan authorities to police their own country, he wrote.
Under the U.S.-Taliban pact, Washington had promised to reduce its military strength in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 by mid-July before withdrawing all soldiers, along with several thousand partners in a NATO-led non-combatant mission by mid-2021.
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