“US Central Command estimates that we have completed between 13-20% of the entire retrograde process,” the combatant command responsible for the Middle East and parts of Central Asia said in a statement.
CENTCOM added that the military has removed the equivalent of 115 C-17 military transport planes of material out of the war-torn country and has designated over 5,000 pieces of equipment for demolition.
The United States invaded Afghanistan ostensibly to destroy the al Qaeda* terror group (banned in Russia), which planned the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington from Afghan soil. But the effort morphed into an extended attempt to establish a democracy.
During the intervening years, the Taliban regrouped and gained control of large parts of the nation in what has become America’s longest war.
US President Joe Biden announced the decision to end the Afghan campaign in April following an extensive policy review, which began upon assuming office earlier this year.
*al-Qaeda, a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries
