Although Pentagon did not disclose how many US troops are still in Afghanistan, it did say the withdrawal will be fully completed at the end of August, a bit earlier than expected.

On Friday, all US and NATO troops left Bagram Air Base in Kabul, where Washington’s main military operation center was based in.

Withdrawal process will end amid serious warnings from some senior military and civilian leaders about a risk of carrying out a civil war as soon as US troops leave Afghanistan.

Since the United States has announced the withdrawal, the media have reported that Taliban movement took control of 188 of the country’s 407 districts, while another 135 are in dispute.

The United States is expected to retain at least 650 military personnel to protect its embassy in Afghanistan, although State Department officials told CNN they are urgently reviewing some plans to evacuate the US embassy if necessary due to increased Taliban attacks.

President Joe Biden announced the US troop withdrawal in mid-April, nearly 20 years after intervention in Afghanistan in an alleged crusade against terrorism.

The War in Afghanistan, which began in October 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attack, is the longest one in the history of the United States, where over 2,300 US soldiers have died.

pgh/Pll/msm / avr