US withdraws all troops out of Afghanistan
(VOVWORLD) - The United States has formally begun withdrawing its last troops out of Afghanistan, bringing its longest war nearer to an end but also heralding an uncertain future for a country in the tightening grip of an emboldened Taliban.
 American soldiers at the Shorab Military Base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Documentary photo: AFP / VNA) |
US officials on the ground said on Saturday the withdrawal is a work in progress – and May 1 is just a continuation – but Washington has made an issue of the date because it is a deadline agreed with the Taliban in 2020 to complete the pullout. The skies above Kabul and nearby Bagram airbase were buzzing with more US helicopter activity than usual as the withdrawal geared up, following the start on Thursday of a concurrent NATO drawdown.