It was known and reported that the US was set to leave Bagram AFB, the long-time base of Afghan operations. W hen the time came though, communication left something to be desired.
According to Afghan officials, the US made off in the middle of the night, turned off the power and left. The new Afghan commander meant to assume control of the base wasn’t told, and indeed didn’t discover for hours that the US troops were gone.
It’s likely that the US didn’t want to make a big fuss. The lack of coordination was such a problem, however, that Afghan officials report that by the time they got to Bagram, there were looters all over the place. That was not part of the plan.
Afghan officials say they’re confident they can hold the base, in spite of mounting losses across the nation. Heavily fortified, the main interest the base might have for the Taliban is the large number of accused Taliban prisoners still held there.
US Sneaks Out of Afghanistan’s Bagram in the Middle of the Night
US didn't inform new Afghan commander
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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