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Added on the 30/06/2021 16:37:04 - Copyright : EFE Inglés
The sound of gunfire is heard across Kabul and fireworks can be seen in the sky early Tuesday after the US military confirmed the last US troops had left Afghanistan, ending a 20-year war. IMAGES
Kabul (Afghanistan), Aug 29 (EFE / EPA).- The withdrawal process of the 5,000 US military and allied forces deployed at the Kabul airport continued this Sunday in the face of "very real" threats of terrorist attacks such as the recent one that left about 200 people dead.FOOTAGE OF THE SECURITY CIRCUIT BY THE TALIBANS IN THE IMMEDIATION OF THE KABUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The Pentagon has issued a notice to commanders known as a 'warning order.' According to CNN, officials say it's to begin planning to draw down the number of troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops and 2,500 in Iraq by Jan 15. US military commanders expect President Donald Trump to issue a formal order to begin further troop withdrawal before Trump leaves office on January 20th. The Pentagon appears ready to remove thousands more US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. However, it also indicates Trump may fall short of fulfilling one of his core promises to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan before he leaves office. Multiple top military officials, including former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, said conditions were not yet right for complete troop withdrawal.
"No timeline has been fixed so far" concerning the US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, says Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai on the second day of unprecedented talks between the Taliban and powerful Afghan politicians in Moscow.
The White House says it is making available to Congress a long-awaited classified report on the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended 20 years of attempts to defeat the Taliban guerrillas. SOUNDBITE
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).