The US has been trying to transfer massive amounts of gear out of Afghanistan, but the process has gone very slow, with multiple disputes with the Karzai government over the lack of documentation for what is in the crates.
Officials are hoping that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, saying that they’re nowhere near touching their capacity for shipping equipment out of the country so far, and could start really moving the gear out in earnest.
The cheapest shipping is south, through Pakistan, but the US has also developed northern routes through the former Soviet Union as an alternative during periods when anti-US sentiment in Pakistan has forced closures.
Though the details of agreements with the Karzai government are a major part of the slow pace, higher-than-expected violence also is a factor, and officials are saying that when the frost hits and the summer offensive ends, they might be able to speed up the transfers more.