Last Month, President Biden announced that US and NATO forces would be out of Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Originally, the Trump administration had planned to complete the withdrawal by 1 May, in accordance with the US-Taliban peace deal signed in Doha in February 2020.
The United States has completed the withdrawal of its forces from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan's second main international airport and one of the US-led coalition's largest main operating bases, Afghan and US officials have confirmed, speaking to multiple media outlets and news agencies.
A US defence official told Stars and Stripes that the base had indeed been transferred to Afghan security forces, with some coalition forces to remain in Kandahar for “a day or two” for security-related reasons.
On Thursday, Afghan media reported that seven civilians were killed and three others wounded after the explosion of two landmines in Kandahar province. The explosion came several days after the government and the Taliban declared a 3-day ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Kandahar Airfield is a massive military facility with the capacity to house up to 250 aircraft, and has served as a logistics hub, troop transfer area and training base throughout the duration of the 19+ year-long NATO war in Afghanistan. At the height of the war, the facility housed as many as 30,000 troops and foreign mercenaries.
Kandahar is the known birthplace of the Taliban*, and served as…
