Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk
KABUL: The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan should not lead to a redeployment of U.S. and NATO military infrastructure to Central Asia, Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said.
“This process cannot and should not turn into a redeployment of US and NATO military infrastructure facilities to countries neighboring the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially to Central Asia. We have already sent such a signal to Washington at various levels, I hope it will be heard,” Kabulov told Sputnik.
The US and its NATO allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001. It was part of Operation Enduring Freedom, launched in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The administration of President Joe Biden initially promised to complete the troop withdrawal by September 11. In late June, media report that the US could finish it within days, but up to 1,000 troops could remain to serve as security forces for the US Embassy and the city’s airport. The United States had about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan when the withdrawal process began on May 1.
Earlier in June, the top US general in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, told reporters that Afghanistan may descend into civil war after the formal US withdrawal from the country.
Recently, Bagram Air Base, one of the largest military sites in Afghanistan, has been fully vacated by the US and other foreign troops. Located 40km North of Kabul, Bagram was extensively used by NATO troops during the two-decade presence in the country. The various facilities of the small city-sized locality served to launch air surveillance and bombing missions. A major logistical hub, it provided medical services, hosted visiting US presidents and other senior officials, and was used to hold and interrogate people captured by the US and allies, according to RT.
