US troop drawdown in Afghanistan is underway
After almost 20 years, bases are being closed and troops are heading home — but the situation on the ground is worsening; Benjamin Hall reports.
KABUL – The drawdown in Afghanistan is underway — after almost 20 years, bases are being closed, and troops are heading home.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, has suggested that just two large bases and several satellite ones will remain, for the 2,500 soldiers who stay.
But on the ground, the situation is getting worse: The Taliban is launching more attacks and taking more ground, and thousands have fled their homes. For these people, a peace deal seems a long way off, and many are losing faith that it will succeed.
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The rise in violence is thought to be a tactic by the Taliban to gain leverage in negotiations. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said it puts the peace deal at risk, adding: “I made clear to them [the Taliban] that the violence levels can’t continue while these negotiations go on. It won’t work. And so, we’ve asked all of them to stand back and indeed stand down.”
The Afghan army has been trained by the U.S. to fight in its place, and conduct all ground missions and 96% of air missions themselves — but it’s not thought it can stand up to the Taliban alone.
Even after the drawdown, the U.S. will continue air support, funding and training — all in accordance with the deal they made with the Taliban — and about 6,500 other NATO troops remain.
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But for America, this — the country’s longest war — is winding down.
The Afghan war has cost almost 2,500 American lives and the U.S. taxpayers $ 1 trillion with $ 138 billion of that has been spent on relief and reconstruction. Being on the ground, it’s hard to see where that money has gone.
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