Afghanistan: Two decades of the US at Bagram base

 

United States Army soldiers toast each other before eating Christmas dinner December 25, 2001 at Bagram Air Force BaseIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionUS soldiers before eating Christmas dinner at Bagram in 2001

For the US and Nato, the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has been the epicentre of the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda for some 20 years.

The US-led coalition forces moved in during December 2001, and it was developed into a huge base capable of holding up to 10,000 troops.

Now they have left as President Joe Biden vows to have all US forces gone by 11 September.

The Taliban have welcomed news of the withdrawal from the base.

The Afghan military will now take over Bagram as part of its ongoing fight against the Taliban.

Army Staff Sgt. Rodolfo Arrendondo, from Abilene, TX, hands out flyers from the Army's 345th Psychological Operations Company to a group of local children May 26, 2002 near Bagram airbase in AfghanistanIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionAn army sergeant hands out flyers to local children near the base in May 2002
A US Army soldier jokes with local Afghanistan civilians December 2, 2001 outside BagramIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionAn American solider jokes with locals outside the base in December 2001

The airfield was built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, becoming its main base in the 1980s as it defended its occupation of Afghanistan.

The US inherited the base when it overthrew the Taliban in 2001. Bagram was in ruins after being abandoned, but the Americans rebuilt the base and it eventually grew to around 30 square miles (77 sq km).

It is served by two runways, the most recent of which is just more than two miles long, where large cargo and bomber aircraft can land.

At one point it boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas - and even fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.

Army soldiers return to Bagram airbase from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in March 2002IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionUS soldiers return to Bagram from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in March 2002
US President George W. Bush poses with American troops at Bagram Air Force Base, March 2006IMAGE COPYRIGHTAFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
image captionGeorge W Bush poses with troops at the base in March 2006
A Burger King trailer is unloaded from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft May 19, 2004 at Bagram Airbase, AfghanistanIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionA Burger King trailer is delivered to Bagram in 2004

Bagram included a prison for people detained by US forces at the height of the conflict, which became known as Afghanistan's Guantanamo - after the infamous US military prison in Cuba.

It was one of the sites identified in a US Senate report on the CIA's interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, including the use of torture, carried out in detention facilities.

George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all visited the base during their tenures as president.

US soldiers stand guard at the site of a suicide attack near the main US base in Afghanistan at Bagram on 26 June 2006.IMAGE COPYRIGHTAFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
image captionAmerican soldiers guard the site of a suicide attack at the base in June 2006
An American soldier holds his head during prayers on September 11, 2011 at Bagram Air FieldIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionAn American soldier holds his head during prayers at the base to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks
Bagram base in 2013IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionBagram base in 2013

About 650 US troops are expected to remain in the country, the Associated Press reports, to provide protection for diplomats and help guard Kabul's international airport, a vital transport hub for the landlocked country.

The ability of Afghan forces to keep control of the base could be essential in maintaining security in Kabul and keeping pressure on the Taliban.

The exit of foreign forces from Bagram base "symbolises that Afghanistan is alone, abandoned, and left to defend itself against the Taliban's onslaught", Afghanistan expert Nishank Motwani told the Reuters news agency.

"Having reached home, Americans and allied forces will now watch what they fought so hard to build over 20 years burn down from afar and knowing that the Afghan men and women they fought with risk losing everything."

In this picture taken on June 17, 2021, a man holds a teddy bear as people look for useable items at a junkyard near the Bagram Air Base in BagramIMAGE COPYRIGHTAFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
image captionA man holds up a teddy bear as people look for useable items at a junkyard next to the base last month
An Afghan clad-burqa woman walks along a road outside a US military base in Bagram on July 1, 2021IMAGE COPYRIGHTAFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
image captionAn Aghan women walks past the base on Thursday
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint outside a US military base in Bagram in April 2021IMAGE COPYRIGHTAFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
image captionAfghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint outside the Bagram base in April this year

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nish Asher celebrates ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat’ song 100 million views record

Image
  LONDON: British Pakistani singer Nish Asher has celebrated the success of ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat’ OST that she sang with Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan during a trip to Lahore from London. ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3’ OST has made a new record as it crossed 100 million views on Geo Entertainment’s YouTube channel called ‘Har Pal Geo’ - becoming the first-ever Pakistani OST of all times to reach the mark. ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3’ has been creating a great buzz amongst the viewers ever since season 3 started. The release of original soundtrack (OST) of ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3’ has been a mega hit and it has become the most watched song ever in Pakistan’s music history for reaching the 100 million views within four months of its release. It was premiered on January 29, 2021, and has been setting new records ever since. Nish Asher shared with Geo News, at her home in East London, that she’s thrilled that the OST, featuring her melodious voice, has made such a big impact on the cultural scene of Pakis...
Read more

Dilip Kumar demise: Why does the actor not have any children with Saira Banu?

Image
  Famed Indian star Dilip Kumar left for his final abode aged 98, an official statement from his family confirmed on Wednesday.  The iconic actor, famously known as the Tragedy King of Bollywood, is survived by his wife of 75 years, Saira Banu. Kumar, who met Banu at a party when she was 22, does not have any kids. According to his biography titled  Dilip Kumar: The Su bstance and the Shadow,  Banu conceived in 1972, but developed high blood pressure in her eighth month of pregnancy and the doctors couldn't save the baby, which had been strangulated by the umbilical cord. The couple did not try to have another baby after the tragic incident. When asked if she feels a void of not having any kids, Banu said, "Our marriage is the most important thing in my life. I don’t miss having a child because Saab is like a child at heart."  However, Kumar expressed it would have been great to have someone to carry his legacy forward. "It would have been great if we had our ow...
Read more