US withdraws military troops out of 5 Afghan bases as part of Taliban peace agreement

Several thousand US military troops were withdrawn out of five bases in Afghanistan as Pentagon fulfilled its obligation to the peace agreement reached with the Taliban in Qatar in February even as Kabul struggled with civil unrest, political deadlock, insurgence, and violence. While President Donald Trump has been in favour of complete withdrawal of US military from Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie had earlier called the deal an “aspirational” commitment. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that it has been 135 days since the agreement was signed, now the US and Taliban have reached a "key milestone" in its implementation.  

"The US has worked hard to carry out the first phase of its commitments under the agreement, including to reduce forces and depart five bases. NATO troops have come down in proportional numbers," Khalilzad said. An estimated 8,600 troops were deployed as the remaining defense forces were pulled out from the military bases in Helmand, Uruzgan, Paktika, and Laghman provinces, in southern and eastern Afghanistan on July 14, military personnel told a state broadcaster on condition of anonymity. However, reports claim that the key military bases in Bagram, located outside Kabul, and Kandahar Air Field in southern Afghanistan remain operational. Reports suggest that by the second quarter of 2021 all foreign forces are supposed to withdraw from Afghanistan as soldiers were cut down from 100,000 in 2010 to a few thousand, and several bases were shut down.  

Withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan won't end the war — it will just let the terrorists win— Wyoming Republican and member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Liz Cheney said. 

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US withdrawal of military troops comes despite a surge in violence in the region, as recently, a suspected Taliban attack was carried out near the National Directorate of Security office in Samangan province that claimed at least 10 lives and left several others injured. While groups like al-Qaeda and the ISIL's Afghan affiliate have turned the region into their safe haven, the Taliban’s 1996-2001 stronghold was collapsed by UN-mandated coalition forces of US-led international troops.

Afghanistan can plunge into total war crisis

Despite flare in violence and civil turmoil, the Trump administration billed the decision as “a decisive step to achieve a negotiated peace". While the Afghan government brokered the deal, it didn’t partake in negotiations. Further, top US commanders are believed to have tentative White House approval to pull out of war-torn Afghanistan leaving just over 4,000 US  troops by November 2020. However, as per an agency report, Pentagon officials warned that a complete withdrawal over the next five months could plunge Afghanistan into a total war crisis. 

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(Images: AP/@Deptofdefense)