US military begins complete withdrawal from Afghanistan

KABUL • The US military has begun its complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, marking what amounts to the beginning of the end of the United States' nearly 20-year-old war in the country.

"I now have a set of orders," General Austin Miller, the head of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, told a news conference of Afghan journalists at the US military's headquarters in Kabul, the country's capital. "We will conduct an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that means transitioning bases and equipment to the Afghan security forces."

Gen Miller's remarks on Sunday came almost two weeks after President Joe Biden announced that all American forces would be out of the country by Sept 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that propelled the US into its long war in Afghanistan.

Mr Biden's announcement was greeted with uncertainty in Afghanistan, as it prepares for a future without a US and Nato military presence despite a Taleban insurgency that seems dead set on a military victory even in the face of peace talks.

If the Taleban return to power - either through force or being incorporated into the government - they are likely to roll back rights for women, as they did during their harsh rule in the late 1990s.

Holding the line for now are the Afghan security forces, which have endured a particularly difficult winter. Taleban offensives in the south and repeated attacks in the north despite the cold weather have meant mounting casualties ahead of what could be a violent summer as US and Nato forces withdraw.

Although the Afghan military and police forces together are said to have around 300,000 personnel, the real number is suspected to be much lower.

Gen Miller said that "certain equipment" must be withdrawn from Afghanistan "but wherever possible", the US and international forces will leave behind materiel for the Afghan forces.

There are roughly 3,500 US troops in Afghanistan and around 7,000 Nato and allied forces.

Those Nato forces will probably withdraw alongside the US troopers, as many countries in the coalition are dependent on US support.

In addition to the international military forces in Afghanistan, there are roughly 18,000 contractors in the country, almost all of whom will also depart.

These private contractors are tasked with a range of jobs, including security, logistics and aircraft maintenance.

Gen Miller said that some of the contracts "will have to be adjusted" so that the Afghan security forces, which are heavily dependent on contractor assistance - especially the Afghan air force - will continue to be supported.

NYTIMES