Boom time for scrap business as US troops leave Afghanistan
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PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
People looking for usable items at a junkyard near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on June 17.
The Pentagon is vacating the air base as part of its plan to withdraw all United States forces by this year's 20th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, and the move could be completed by the end of this month.
Military gear is being taken home or given to Afghan security forces, but tons of civilian equipment must be left behind.
The result: a booming scrap business that is making money for some, but leaving many resentful.
For two decades, Bagram served as the nerve centre for US operations in the country.
A sprawling mini-city visited by hundreds of thousands of service members and contractors, it boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas - and even a boardwalk featuring fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.
It also has a prison that held thousands of Taleban and militant inmates over the years.
