KABUL: The United States formally begins withdrawing its last troops from Afghanistan on Saturday, bringing its longest war nearer to an end but also heralding an uncertain future for a country in the tightening grip of an emboldened Taliban.
In this Sept. 11, 2011 file photo, US soldiers sit beneath an American flag just raised to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Forward Operating Base Bostick in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The Biden administration’s surprise announcement in April 2021, of an unconditional troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, appears to strip the Taliban and the Afghan government of considerable leverage, pressuring them to reach a peace deal. AP PHOTO