After nearly two decades of America's presence at Bagram Airfield, U.S. forces apparently turned off the lights and left under the cover of night, all without notifying the Afghan forces left behind. The Afghan commander "discovered the Americans’ departure more than two hours after they left," according to new reporting from the Associated Press based on conversations with members of Afghan security forces.
The Pentagon confirmed Friday that the last U.S. forces had left Bagram Airfield north of Kabul, Afghanistan, but days later we're getting a more complete picture of America's departure that marked a major milestone in President Biden's withdrawal plan.
In the immediate aftermath of American forces' departure, looters descended and "ransacked barrack after barrack and rummaged through giant storage tents" on the base that for years was the launching point for attacks on al-Qaida targets. Afghan forces were eventually able to clear the looters and resecure the base after America's surprise withdrawal.
One Afghan soldier at Bagram told the AP that "in one night, they lost all the goodwill of 20 years by leaving the way they did, in the night, without telling the Afghan soldiers who were outside patrolling the area."
Another told of how, "within 20 minutes of the U.S.’s silent departure on Friday, the electricity was shut down and the base was plunged into darkness... like a signal to the looters."
The Afghan commander who is now in charge of Bagram told the Associated Press that "we have to secure our country and once again build our country with our own hands" and asserted he's confident any future attacks would be repelled by Afghan forces.
The Taliban continues to step up its offensive to recapture districts throughout the country, with numerous recent attacks that saw Afghan security forces sent scrambling after being routed by Taliban fighters.
Contested Afghanistan.#AFPgraphics map showing parts of Afghanistan currently under government control and territories under the influence of the Taliban pic.twitter.com/7GRyQSHHpd
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 6, 2021
As Americans celebrated Independence Day, more than 1,000 members of the Afghan military fled across the border with Tajikistan in their latest retreat from the Taliban, according to Tajik reports from the country's border authority.
The Biden administration is speeding along with its withdrawal plan and is likely to beat the September 11, 2021, deadline for having personnel out of the country as the intelligence community's latest evaluation concluded that the Afghan government could fall within six months of Americans' departure.
Pentagon: U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan now 'more than 90%' complete
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) July 6, 2021
Questions in the U.S. continue to swirl regarding Afghanistan's future along with the security of the American embassy in Kabul and what will be done to protect Afghan translators who assisted American forces while they await visas. President Biden refused to answer questions about his administration's withdrawal plan last week, citing Independence Day as the reason he wouldn't address the subject.