KABUL: Afghan security forces took control of Bagram Airfield, a key American military base near Kabul, as foreign troops are leaving the country after nearly 20 years since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Bagram Airfield, some 50 kilometers north of Kabul, served as the hub of America’s operations against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
The withdrawal from Bagram Airfield is seen as an indication that the US is completing the drawdown months ahead of President Joe Biden's September deadline, despite a recent spike in Taliban attacks against Afghan government forces.
"All coalition and American troops have left Bagram Airbase," Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the defense ministry, told Arab News as the base was handed over to the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF).
"ANDSF will protect the base and use it to combat terrorism," he said.
He refused to share the details of handover and what equipment the US troops have left behind.
Before the US troops, Bagram Airfield was used by Russians during the Soviet-Afghan war in 1979-89, but it was under the US occupation that the base had swollen into a fortress city with shops, American fast-food outlets, and sports venues. At the peak of US military presence in 2012, the base saw more than 100,000 troops pass through its compound.
Part of the facility served as a detention center for suspected militants, earning notoriety over alleged torture of its inmates.
The Taliban in a statement on Friday welcomed the US departure from Bagram as a "positive step," adding that they were waiting for a complete withdrawal of all foreign soldiers from Afghan soil.
As most NATO soldiers have already exited, in accordance with a historic deal signed by Washington and the Taliban in February last year, about 650 American servicemen are expected to stay in Afghanistan to protect the US embassy in Kabul and, possibly, the city’s airport, despite repeated Taliban threats against any foreign military presence in the country after the withdrawal deadline.
The US and NATO leaving comes as the Taliban have captured several dozens of districts in the last few weeks and also seized more grounds near the Bagram base in the past two days, according to local sources.
While the Taliban advances come both by force and through the surrender of Afghan government forces, the government has in turn started resurrecting and arming local militias to assist its troops.
Continued violence risked a civil war in Afghanistan, US top commander in Afghanistan Gen. Austin S. Miller said during his last conference in Kabul earlier this week, as he warned that should have the world worried.
Afghan forces take control of Bagram Airfield as US troops withdraw
https://arab.news/rezpb
Afghan forces take control of Bagram Airfield as US troops withdraw
- Bagram Airfield served as the hub of America’s operations against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
- Withdrawal from the airbase comes amid a recent spike in Taliban attacks against Afghan government forces
Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol
- Official statement says the haul was made during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by PNS Yamama
- Seizure comes after a record haul of nearly $972 million was reported in the North Arabian Sea in October
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy said on Sunday a patrol vessel operating in the Arabian Sea had seized 1,500 kg of narcotics, the latest interdiction under a regional maritime security deployment aimed at curbing illicit activity along key shipping routes.
The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), a Pakistan-led initiative that deploys naval assets across the Arabian Sea and adjoining waters to deter smuggling, piracy and other non-traditional security threats.
The framework combines independent patrols with coordination involving regional and international partners.
“Pakistan Navy Ship Yamama, while deployed on Regional Maritime Security Patrol in the Arabian Sea, successfully conducted an anti-narcotics operation, leading to the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish valued at approximately 3 million US dollars,” the Navy said.
The interdiction, it added, underscored the force’s “unwavering commitment to combating illicit activities and ensuring security in the maritime domain.”
Pakistan Navy said it routinely undertakes RMSP missions to safeguard national maritime interests through “robust vigilance and effective presence at sea,” and continues to play a proactive role in collaborative maritime-security efforts with other regional navies.
The seizure comes amid heightened counter-narcotics activity at sea.
In October, a Pakistani vessel seized a haul worth nearly $972 million in what authorities described as one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.
Last month, Pakistan Navy units operating under a Saudi Arabia-led multinational task force seized about 2,000 kg of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $130 million, highlighting the role of regional cooperation in disrupting trafficking networks.
