The Afghan army is accusing the U.S. military of stealing away from Bagram air base in the middle of the night, going so far as to turn off the lights without notifying their Afghan counterparts. “We [heard] some rumor that the Americans had left Bagram ... and finally by seven o’clock in the morning, we understood that it was confirmed that they had already left Bagram,” said Gen. Mir Asadullah Kohistani, Bagram’s new commander, reported the Associated Press. The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Bagram, which had been the center of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years, last week.
Apparently, even the looters knew before the Afghan army did, that the Americans were gone. “At first we thought maybe they were Taliban,” said Abdul Raouf, a soldier of 10 years. He said the U.S. called from the Kabul airport and said, “We are here at the airport in Kabul.” Kohistani said the U.S. left behind 3.5 million items, everything from bottled water and energy drinks to armored vehicles. While weapons were also left behind, the ammunition for them was destroyed by the departing U.S. troops.
In the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal, Afghan Army Chief Gen. Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai is promising that his priority will be to safeguard major cities, border towns, and highways. “There is no respect for anything ... the enemy is trying to conduct a trade war against us, creating economic issues. They want to close the border towns through which wheat is imported for the people. They will never succeed. The Afghan people are vigilant and smart and know what this war is about,” Ahmadzai said in an interview with TOLO News. He said that the Taliban wants to first cut supply routes and then launch their offensives on districts and cities.
