![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() by Kyle Barnett Washington DC (UPI) Jul 13, 2021
The United States pullout from Afghanistan is more than 95% completed, the U.S. military said Tuesday, as the Taliban has mounted a growing offensive in the country. U.S. Central Command said in a press release that the "orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan" was still underway, with less than 5% of the withdrawal process left to complete. As of July 12, the Department of Defense had moved 984 C-17 loads out of the country and offline 17,074 pieces of equipment. The United States has also transitioned seven facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. The announcement comes a day after Army Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller announced he was stepping down. Miller led U.S. forces in the country for nearly three years. President Joe Biden first announced the ordered withdrawal of troops in April. In the wake of the announcement, the Taliban launched an offensive and captured a reported 80 districts. Reports from the front indicate a swift takeover without opposition of many areas of the country by the Taliban, which has also reportedly recovered caches of American equipment abandoned by fleeing Afghans. Afghan forces have been retreating, with over 1,800 having reportedly fled into border areas. Taliban fighters killed 22 Afghan commandos Tuesday as they attempted to surrender in the continued conflict. The country's second largest city, Kandahar, was able to push back a Taliban attack on Friday. Further outbreaks of skirmishes were reported in Kunduz, Baghlan, Herat, Ghazni, Faryab and Maidan Wardak provinces. The U.S. withdrawal was originally planned for September but is ahead of schedule and is expected to wrap up by the end of July. The occupation of Afghanistan has lasted nearly 20 years and is the United States' longest running conflict.
![]() ![]() UK lawmakers demand action over China's alleged Xinjiang abuses London (AFP) July 7, 2021 A group of British lawmakers urged the government to take tougher action against China on Thursday over its treatment of minority groups, including a partial Winter Olympics boycott and cotton trade ban. In a report following a months-long inquiry, parliament's foreign affairs committee recommended exploring the feasibility of an International Criminal Court probe into the alleged crimes against Uyghur Muslims and others in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang. It also called on the gover ... read more
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |