On Sunday, the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Scott Miller, said an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces and the handing over of military bases and equipment to the Afghan forces had begun, Reuters reports.
According to Mr. Miller, he was acting on orders based on U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to end America's longest war, deeming the prolonged and intractable battle in Afghanistan no longer aligned with American priorities.
"As we retrograde to zero U.S. forces, we will turn over the (military) bases primarily to the (Afghan) Ministry of Defense and other Afghan forces," Miller said, adding that the Taliban have committed to break their relationship with al Qaeda, the Islamist extremist group.
However, foreign forces will continue to have "the military means and capability to fully protect themselves during the ongoing retrograde and will support the Afghan security forces," Miller said.
Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said he would withdraw troops from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the militant attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon that launched the Afghan war.