Tuesday, July 6

Guns without Ammo. Vehicles without Keys. MREs Left Behind in Kabul

 The BBC reports:

The US announced on Friday that it had vacated Bagram, effectively completing its military campaign in Afghanistan ahead of the official end date of 11 September, announced by President Joe Biden earlier this year.

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is more than 90% completed, the Pentagon's Central Command said on Tuesday.

The Americans left behind about 3.5 million items, Gen Kohistani said, including tens of thousands of bottles of water, energy drinks and military ready-made meals, known as MREs. They also left behind thousands of civilian vehicles, without keys, and hundreds of armoured vehicles, the Associated Press reported.

They took heavy weapons with them and detonated some ammunition stocks, but left behind small weapons and ammunition for the Afghans, Gen Kohistani said.

Asked by the Associated Press about the late-night withdrawal from the base, US military spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett referred to a statement issued last week that said US forces had co-ordinated their departure from various bases with Afghan leaders.

Meanwhile, Germany has closed its consulate general in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, a diplomat said. The last German troops left the country last week.