The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) provided an update on the U.S. troop withdrawal efforts ordered by President Joe Biden that began on May 1 and are expected to conclude on Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The command said the withdrawal is between 16% and 25% complete.
Here’s the full CENTCOM release provided to American Military News on Tuesday:
U.S. Central Command provides the following update on the
orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, as of 10 a.m. on May 24, 2021.Since the President’s decision, the DoD has retrograded the equivalent of
approximately 160 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and have turned over more than 10,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition.Also, the U.S. has officially handed over five facilities to the Afghan
Ministry of Defense.U.S. Central Command estimates that we have completed between 16-25% of the entire retrograde process.
We expect to be able to provide weekly updates on the progress of the
retrograde.NOTE: For operational security reasons we will only be providing an
approximate range of the percentage of the exit process that is complete. As
the responsible and orderly exit continues, the size of the range will
increase to preserve operational security. This update includes the progress
on the retrograde of troops and equipment from Afghanistan, the turning over of equipment and facilities to the ANDSF, as well as the destruction of some equipment.
