U.S. forces left the Bagram base in Afghanistan

KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. troops withdrew from their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, a U.S. defense official said after a two-decade war after a U.S. deal with all Taliban forces to withdraw from the country.

“All U.S. soldiers and members of NATO forces have left the Bagram air base,” the top U.S. security official said on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. military has coordinated air warfare and logistical support from the Bagram air base, about 60 kilometers from Kabul, and the withdrawal of forces symbolizes the end of a U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan.

The base is being handed over to the Afghan government because its armed forces are at war with the Taliban and questions about their options are circulating.

An Afghan official has said the base will be officially handed over to the government at a ceremony on Saturday.

A U.S. defense official said General Austin Miller, the chief U.S. official in Afghanistan, retains “all capabilities and authority to protect the force” in the capital Kabul.

Two other U.S. officials have said most of the U.S. military is likely to leave by July 4 this week, leaving a remnant force to protect the embassy.

Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden told his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani that “Afghans will have to decide their future, what they want.”

Ghani said his job now is to “manage the effects” of the U.S. withdrawal.

The deal with the Taliban on the U.S. withdrawal was made under President Donald Trump’s administration.

In exchange for a U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban have vowed to prevent international terrorism from Afghanistan and also pledged to enter into talks with Afghan rivals, but little progress has been made in negotiations.