USCENTCOM says more than 50% of military withdrawal from Afghanistan complete

The US military's pullout from Afghanistan is progressing at a fast pace, with US Central Command (USCENTCOM) announcing on 15 June that it has already completed more than 50% of the entire retrograde process.

The command noted in a statement that since US President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw troops, equipment, and other personnel from Afghanistan, the Pentagon has retrograded “the equivalent of approximately 611 C-17 [transport aircraft] loads” of material out of Afghanistan and turned over more than 14,379 pieces of equipment to the US Defense Logistics Agency for disposition.

US soldiers boarding a Chinook helicopter in the Gardez district of Afghanistan's Paktia Province in 2011. USCENTCOM announced on 15 June that the Pentagon has already completed more than 50% of the military retrograde process in Afghanistan. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)

Moreover, the Unites States has officially handed over six facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said the command, adding that it anticipates additional transfers of bases and military assets in the future, “which will support the ANDSF [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces]/GIRoA [Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan] as they work to stabilise and defend their nation”.

All US and coalition troops, as well as all foreign defence contractors, are set to leave Afghanistan before 11 September: almost 20 years after the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the US that resulted in the country engaging in its longest-ever running war.

The USCENTCOM announcement came only a day after the leaders of NATO member states reiterated in a joint communiqué their commitment to continuing to provide training and financial support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), including through the Afghan National Army Trust Fund.