2 Large US Bases to Remain in Afghanistan after Troop Withdrawal

Two large United States military bases will remain open in Afghanistan even after the US withdraws about half of its troops by next month, Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday. Milley said that the US also would keep satellite bases in the country, during an event sponsored by the Brookings Institution, Reuters reported. He said that the US has “achieved a modicum of success” in preventing Afghanistan from becoming a launching pad for terrorism. The troops remaining in Afghanistan will continue to carry out counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State and al-Qaida. The withdrawal of US troops by Jan. 15, comes as the government of Afghanistan and representatives of the Taliban reached an agreement to continue peace talks, which began in September in Qatar. The Taliban, an insurgent Islamic fundamentalist movement, has been waging a civil war in Afghanistan for the last two decades. The United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban from power in 2001.