With the start of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan … an attack on Kandahar airport, and a security alert across the country

The United States began withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, on Saturday, 20 years after its invasion of the country, while the Taliban movement denounced the delay in this step, and said that its fighters are waiting for the movement’s leadership’s decision to make the appropriate response.

Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted an Afghan Defense Ministry official as saying that the process of handing over the American bases to the Afghan government has begun, and joint committees have been formed to supervise this. Read also A withdrawal with a taste of defeat … a battle in Washington over the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan Le Monde: After 20 years of intervention, America has turned Afghanistan into a narco-state Thomas Friedman: This is what Biden and I witnessed in Afghanistan after the American invasion

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was scheduled to be completed by Saturday, according to the agreement concluded by the administration of former US President Donald Trump with the Taliban movement in the Qatari capital, Doha, in February 2020.

But US President Joe Biden announced last month, after reviewing the situation, that the withdrawal would begin on May 1 and continue in an orderly and gradual manner, to be completed by September 11th.

Taliban condemn

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said today on Twitter that exceeding the specified date means that “this violation opened the way (for the movement’s fighters) to take every countermeasure they deem appropriate in the face of the occupying forces.”

On the other hand, the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, US General Scott Miller, warned the Taliban against attacking foreign forces.

“Make no mistake, we have the military means to respond forcefully to any kind of attacks against the coalition, and the military means to support the (Afghan) security forces,” Miller said in a video clip posted on

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Attack in Kandahar

Earlier, a spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan announced via Twitter that the Kandahar airport – which hosts US and foreign forces – was subjected to a failed attack that did not cause casualties.

He explained that the airport was exposed to indirect and ineffective fire this afternoon, and that there were no injuries or damage to equipment. Advertising

The spokesman said that the US forces carried out a raid this evening that destroyed missiles targeting the airport. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, the security alert increased in the capital, Kabul, and the intensification of the military presence and checkpoints was noted.

Reuters quoted a security source as saying that Kabul is “on high alert”, and military patrols and security

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Meanwhile, Afghan Army Chief Yasin Zia welcomed the US decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan.

Yassin told Al-Jazeera that there would be “temporary” problems after the withdrawal and that they would be overcome. He called on the Taliban movement to come to the negotiating table, stressing that the issue could not be resolved using force.

The Afghan authorities had announced that US forces and their allies’ forces would leave their bases across the country to gather at Bagram (the largest US base in Afghanistan) and then head to their country.