US forces leave Bagram base in Afghanistan: official

A US military helicopter flies towards the Green Zone in Kabul

American troops pulled out of their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, a US defence official said, under an agreement with the Taliban allowing for the withdrawal of all US forces from the country after a two-decade war. ‘All American soldiers and members of NATO forces have left the Bagram air base,’ said the senior US security official on condition of anonymity. The US military has coordinated its air war and logistical support for its Afghan mission from the Bagram air base, about 60 km (40 miles) north of Kabul, and the withdrawal of the forces symbolises the end of the US military involvement in the country. The base is being handed over to the Afghan government as its armed forces face a surging war with the Taliban and questions swirl about their prospects.