The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is officially underway.
The White House has confirmed that the US military has already begun to withdraw troops from war-torn Afghanistan.
The oval office says it “remains committed to having all personnel out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021”.
Just under 1,000 troops have already been moved from the country, as well as some government contractors and officials who were based there.
President Biden: "We went to Afghanistan to get the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11…We delivered justice to Bin Laden, we degraded the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. After 20 years of valor and sacrifice, it’s time to bring our troops home." pic.twitter.com/xFT2HKhA6w
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 29, 2021
There are fears that the Taliban will attempt to make an attack on personnel being withdrawn from Afghanistan, so the US is unlikely to disclose all of the departure details.
“It is a complex operation and not without risk and it will unfold over the coming weeks.”
General Mark A. Milley, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
The Pentagon has temporarily provided B-52H Stratofortress aircraft to U.S. Central Command, the combatant command that oversees American operations throughout the Middle East.
The Pentagon also says a recently deployed U.S. Navy carrier strike group is also aiding the operation.
The withdrawal of 3,000 service members by September 11th will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
