[Oni]

It has been almost 20 years since the attack of September 11th, but the primary base in Afghanistan is being vacated. Last year Trump set in force plans for U.S. forces to leave the middle east, in which Biden has followed through. It looks like extractions are finalizing just in time for the 4th of July.

American troops pulled out of their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, leaving behind a piece of the World Trade Center they buried 20 years ago in a country that the top U.S. commander has warned may descend into civil war without them.

The brisk pace of the U.S. withdrawal comes as the Taliban insurgency ramps up its offensive throughout the country while peace talks in Qatar have failed to make significant progress.

The Pentagon said the turnover of Bagram airbase to Afghan security forces was a "key milestone" in the withdrawal.

Despite the rapid pace of the pullout, the U.S. military currently still has the authority to protect Afghan forces.

"Those authorities still exist," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, but did not give a timeline for when they might end.

U.S. President Joe Biden said the withdrawal is on track, but some American forces will still be in Afghanistan in September as part of a "rational drawdown with allies."

Read More: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacif...021-07-02/