COALITION TROOPS LEAVE KEY AIRBASE IN AFGHANISTAN

All international troops have left Bagram airfield, the largest US military base in Afghanistan, as NATO troops prepare to finally depart the war-scarred nation, Hesamuddin Hesam reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The base, one hour's drive to the north of the capital Kabul, has been a center of US military operations for nearly the last two decades. A spokesperson for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Fawad Aman, confirmed that the foreign forces had left Bagram on Thursday night and had handed it over to the Afghan forces.

"Afghan National and Defence Forces will protect the base and use it to combat terrorism," Aman added. There was no official information on where the US and coalition forces that left the airfield are now.

A US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the top commander of the US military in Afghanistan General Austin Miller "still retains all the capabilities and authorities to protect the force" that are likely present in the capital Kabul to protect the US embassy and the strategically important Kabul airport.

Reacting to the evacuation of the base, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told dpa that it was a "positive step" that could help the country reach stability and peace.

The Associated Press (AP) also reported that instead of peace, Afghanistan would most likely be plunged into a bloody civil war. Retired Afghan general Aminullah Amarkhail told dpa on Friday that the withdrawal of the US forces from the base would mean that Afghan forces would no longer receive critical support from the air, even as they face an intensified Taliban offensive across the country

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