(Photo : MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)
AFGHANISTAN AIR FORCE
GHAZNI PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN -- MAY 9, 2021: Afghan commandoes help unload ammunition from a UH-60 Blackhaw during a resupply mission to an outpost in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 9, 2021. The Afghan Air Force, which the U.S. and its partners has nurtured to the tune of $8.5 billion since 2010, is now the governmentÕs spearhead in its fight against the Taliban. Since May 1, the original deadline for the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban have overpowered government troops to take at least 23 districts to date, according to local media outlets. That has further denied Afghan security forces the use of roads, meaning all logistical support to the thousands of outposts and checkpoints Ñ including re-supplies of ammunition and food, medical evacuations or personnel rotation Ñ must be done by air.
As it was revealed that all UK and US troops will be pulled out on Sunday, the former commander of the British Army declared the Taliban had "prevailed" in their war with the West in Afghanistan.
During the 20-year battle in Afghanistan, 454 British military servicemen were killed. Taliban militants have made significant advances in rural regions and have declared victory against NATO and its allies.
General Lord Dannatt says Taliban wins
After The Telegraph revealed that the Union flag had been down in Kabul, ending 20 years of British involvement in the nation, Lord Dannatt has called for a Chilcot-style "audit" of the campaign. The operation was designed to provide Afghans the option of a more "moderate and peaceful" life, said the General.
The last British and US soldiers in Afghanistan will be removed on Independence Day, according to a source close to General Sir Nick Carter, the head of the military staff. The full pullout was supposed to be completed on September 11, the 20th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers.
The source said, "The thinking was that there was no point in having a slow extraction and running the risk of having more casualties." It is expected that international troops would be stationed near the embassy in Kabul. The country has experienced a rise in bloodshed as Nato forces begin to withdraw from Afghanistan, with the district after district falling to the Taliban in recent days.
The US, British troops in Afghanistan withdrew
Per Daily Mail, After American soldiers moved their pullout date ahead to coincide with US Independence Day, the final British troops in Afghanistan would leave within days. More than 200 Black Watch soldiers will return home, concluding a 20-year mission for the United Kingdom.
They will participate in a flag-lowering ceremony with US soldiers before departing to honor the 456 British troops who lost there since the conflict started. Thousands of British troops have been injured in the fight against the Taliban. Over 38,000 Afghan civilians have been killed, and another 70,000 have been injured.
Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK's ambassador to Kabul, is slated to attend the ceremony. After the troops go, he will remain in Afghanistan.
US President Joe Biden had set September 11, the 20th anniversary of the Twin Towers attack, as the deadline for bringing all American soldiers home. But military sources indicated yesterday that the deadline had been pushed up to this weekend.
After intelligence reports showed the Taliban might remove Afghanistan's democratic government within months, the Black Watch - the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland - withdrew. Hundreds of interpreters who assisted British soldiers but are now stranded in Afghanistan face severe risk as a result of the Taliban's resurgence, which has included assaults on civilians.
No official images of any of the flag-lowering ceremonies, which are used to mark the end of each deployment by different units of troops, have been released yet as part of the UK withdrawal. It is believed that at least one ceremony took place at Kabul's international airport.
An aircraft carrying infantry personnel returned to the UK last week, providing the most recent proof of the retreat. Over the past few weeks, several planes have been bringing military equipment and soldiers back from Afghanistan.
Last Friday, the UK's Ministry of Defense (MoD) issued a statement and photos announcing the return of three Puma helicopters and 55 military personnel. While the majority of the 750-strong British mission has returned home, some personnel remain in Afghanistan, Sky News via MSN reported.
The withdrawal of forces as part of the NATO mission Resolute Support, including the UK element, Operation Toral "will be completed within a few months," according to MoD spokesperson.
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