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The Taliban Ramps Up As The U.S. Draws Down

An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier looks out while standing on a Humvee vehicle at Bagram Air Base, after all US and NATO troops left, some 70 Km north of Kabul.
An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier looks out while standing on a Humvee vehicle at Bagram Air Base, after all US and NATO troops left, some 70 Km north of Kabul.

In April, President Biden made it official. All U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be gone by early September.The drawdown started in May.Last week, the U.S. left Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years. 

And according to the Associated Press, the base’s new Afghan commander only learned about the departure after our troops had moved out. 

As the last U.S. and NATO forces pull out of the country, the Taliban are on the march. Recent reports paint a worrying picture.  

On Monday, more than one thousand Afghan government troops fled across the northern border to Tajikistan.

It was the third such wave to flee in just three days. And the fifth in two weeks in an area that was once a stronghold of anti-Taliban resistance.

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5

Rupert Allman

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