U.S. Military Withdraws From Bagram Air Base as Afghanistan Drawdown Continues

What’s the story?

• The Dept. of Defense announced Friday that the U.S. has pulled out of Bagram Air Base amid the ongoing withdrawal from Afghanistan. Bagram served as a key hub for air support and logistics for the U.S. and its allies during the last 20 years and it is now under the control of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
• Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that the U.S. will maintain an “over-the-horizon” capability to carry out counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan as necessary, in addition to providing maintenance to the Afghan Air Force from bases in Qatar and potentially Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan this past week. 
• Kirby explained at a press briefing that the U.S. forces remaining in Afghanistan will have four priorities:

“One, protecting our diplomatic presence in the country. Two, supporting security requirements at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Three, continued advice and assistance to Afghan National Defense and Security Forces as appropriate. And four, supporting our counterterrorism efforts.”

• Kirby added that the Pentagon believes that it will be able to complete the drawdown ahead of the September 11th deadline set by President Joe Biden:

“(T)he president’s direction was to be out by early September. We believe that we’ll be able to complete the drawdown process by the end of August, and that’s our best estimate right now, and that’s what we’re driving towards is to be -- to complete the drawdown process by the end of August.”

• Biden told the press on Friday that he thinks the Afghan security forces have the “capacity to be able to sustain the government” and that the Afghans will have to carry the load going forward:

“We have worked out an over-the-horizon capacity that we can be value added, but the Afghans are going to have to be able to do it themselves with the Air Force they have, which we’re helping them maintain.”

• Earlier this year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released an assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan prior to Biden’s announcement of a September 11th withdrawal date from the country, which found:

“We assess that prospects for a peace deal will remain low during the next year. The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan Government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support. Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory. Afghan forces continue to secure major cities and other government strongholds, but they remain tied down in defensive missions and have struggled to hold recaptured territory or reestablish a presence in areas abandoned in 2020.”

• ODNI added that Iran is hoping to increase its influence in Afghanistan:

“Iran will hedge its bets in Afghanistan, and its actions may threaten instability. Iran publicly backed Afghan peace talks, but it is worried about a long-term US presence in Afghanistan. As a result, Iran is building ties with both the government in Kabul and the Taliban so it can take advantage of any political outcome.”

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— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Lance Cheung via Flickr / Creative Commons)