US military to retain 2 huge Afghan bases

KABUL (Pajhwok): As they prepare to exit Afghanistan, US troops will retain two huge bases in the war-devastated country.

Last month, despite NATO concerns, President Donald Trump ordered curtailing troop levels from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January, 2021

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday the US would keep the two large bases and several satellite bases.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution, the top army general said US troops would continue supporting the Afghan security forces,

The American military would also continue with anti-terrorism operations against the Islamic State (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda rebels, Milley was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In response to a query, he said: “We went to Afghanistan … to ensure that Afghanistan never again became a platform for terrorists to strike the United States.

“We believe that now after 20 years — two decades of consistent effort there — we’ve achieved a modicum of success,” Milley added.

PAN Monitor/mud