US President Joe Biden announces an exit from Afghanistan. – AFP photo
WASHINGTON (April 24): The United States (US) has begun the process to remove its military armaments from Afghanistan as it prepares to withdraw all of its forces from the war-torn country, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported citing a report published on Friday.
US President Joe Biden set a Sept 11 deadline for the process to be completed after 20 years of conflict, and several senior officials have said the drawdown could be completed well before that date.
In the interim, the Pentagon has authorised the deployment of hundreds of US forces to the region tasked with ensuring the safety of American troops during the process, three defence officials told CNN.
The officials said that at present, the focus of the withdrawal is on removing unneeded equipment from the country or transferring it to Afghan forces, and destroying “obsolete” equipment.
The process to bring the roughly 2,500 US forces in the country down to zero will not begin “for a few weeks,” an official told CNN. The US will “retain our ability to defend the force and provide support” to Afghan counterparts, the official added.
At its peak, there were an estimated 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. – Bernama
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