Kandahar Air Base. Photo: US Army
The World Daily | News Desk MAY 15th 2021
Afghan authorities said the United States has withdrawn all its troops from the Kandahar airbase in southern Afghanistan, one of the country's largest. On the same day there was a bomb attack on a mosque in Kabul. At least 12 people were killed in the attack and 15 were injured. The imam is among the fatalities.
"The base has not been officially handed over to us yet, but I can confirm that (US forces) left it on Wednesday," said an Afghan army spokesman in Kandahar, Khojja Jaja Alawi. “They handed over all the facilities to Afghan forces,” said the director of the Kandahar airport. The formal handover is to follow Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday lasting until Saturday at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islam, the two Afghan representatives said.
At one time, the Kandahar base was the second largest base for US and international forces in Afghanistan. Kandahar Province is a former Taliban stronghold in the south of the country. In recent months, it has been the scene of clashes between Taliban fighters and government forces.
On Thursday, a three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire began between the two sides, after several weeks of intense clashes across the country.
In Afghanistan, the rise in violence came on May 1, as the US was due to withdraw its 2,500 people. contingent soldiers. The United States and NATO pledged to withdraw all remaining troops by September 11, marking the 20th anniversary of the US terrorist attacks followed by the US military intervention in Afghanistan.
The US military announced on Tuesday that up to 12 percent of its military personnel had been withdrawn from Afghanistan so far.
