ANI, Washington
Published by: Dev Kashyap
Updated Fri, 09 Jul 2021 12:36 AM IST
US President Joe Biden (file photo)
– Photo : PTI
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Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31. The drawdown is proceeding in a secure & orderly way, prioritizing the safety of our troops as they depart: US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the drawdown efforts in Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/NiojoxKM8D
— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2021
Biden went on to say that ‘As I said in April, America did what we went to do in Afghanistan. The purpose of this campaign was to find the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and to bring the message of justice to Osama bin Laden. At the same time, to save Afghanistan, the terrorist threat had to be reduced because Afghanistan had become a stronghold of terrorists who constantly attack against America.
As I said in April, US did what we went to do in Afghanistan, to get the terrorists that attacked us on 9/11 & deliver justice to Osama Bin Laden and to degrade the terrorist threat to keep Afghanistan becoming the base in which attacks could be continued against US: Joe Biden
— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2021
Biden said in a speech, ‘We did not go to Afghanistan to build a nation. Afghan leaders have to come together and build the future. Biden justified his decision to end the US military operation as the Taliban made progress on key bases in the country.
Let us tell you that earlier on Tuesday, the US Central Command had said that the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is going on, so far more than 90 percent of the withdrawal has been completed. Seven military bases here have been formally handed over to the Afghan Defense Ministry. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has said that about 1,000 C-17 cargo planes have flown from Afghanistan carrying military equipment.
According to the Pentagon, several military equipment has been handed over to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposal before leaving Afghanistan with military equipment. NATO countries are also rapidly withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan with American coordination. Germany has also withdrawn all its troops and closed its consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.
Last week, US and NATO forces also evacuated Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan’s largest military airport. With the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Taliban have captured several districts in northern Afghanistan and other parts of the country after fighting government forces. However, Afghan security forces have resolved to stop the Taliban from advancing.