The American troops did not inform the new commander before leaving the Bagram airfieldThe U.S. left Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the base’s new Afghan commander, who discovered the Americans’ departure more than two hours after they left, said Afghan military officials. “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. U.S. military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett did not address the complaints of many Afghan soldiers who inherited the abandoned airfield, instead referring to a statement last week. Before the Afghan army could take control of the airfield, it was invaded by a small army of looters, who ransacked barracks and rummaged through storage tents before being evicted, according to Afghan military officials. He said the the U.S. called from the Kabul airport and said “we are here at the airport in Kabul”.

Source: The Hindu July 06, 2021 16:30 UTC