US, NATO forces evacuate largest military base in Afghanistan
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E-mail Xinhua, July 2, 2021
All U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan have evacuated the Bagram Airfield near the Afghan capital Kabul, handing over the largest coalition base to the Afghan government troops, the Tolo News TV reported on Friday.
The local TV quoted unnamed officials from the Afghan Defense Ministry as saying that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) took full control of the military base after two decades of foreign forces' presence there.
However, the exact date of handover of the base, which is located some 50 km north of Kabul in Bagram district of eastern Parwan province, was not immediately known.
Further details about the evacuation are still forthcoming amid the absence of any official statement.
The report came as security situation has deteriorated drastically since May 1 when U.S. and NATO troops started to withdraw from the conflict-torn country.
About 3,500 U.S. forces and 7,000 NATO troops will be withdrawn before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into war in Afghanistan.
The coalition forces have reportedly handed over most of the nine military bases across Afghanistan to the Afghan side in recent months.
An unknown number of U.S. and NATO forces reportedly remain in a base in central Kabul before all foreign forces leave the country.
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