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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,065 posts)
Sat Oct 10, 2020, 06:48 PM Oct 2020

With U.S. troops gone, Taliban expands influence in one Afghan province

GARDEZ, Afghanistan — Months after the Americans withdrew from this province in southeast Afghanistan, what little they left behind still lies scattered across the small military base: rations packaging for chicken pesto pasta, Rice Krispies cereal boxes, instant chocolate milk packets. Inside trailers, the floors are littered with Christmas decorations and letters from schoolchildren addressed “Dear soldier.”

The U.S. military vacated Forward Operating Base Lightning in March, less than a month after American and Taliban leaders signed a peace deal that set in motion a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.

On a recent day this month, only trash, splintered plywood, crushed metal trailers and mounds of twisted wire remained where hundreds of American troops once trained Afghan forces, launched joint operations and conducted surveillance missions.

But outside the base, Afghan officials say, the U.S. withdrawal has had an outsized impact. Targeted killings are on the rise, school attendance is down, and Taliban fighters are expanding their areas of influence, according to residents and officials.

What has happened in Paktia province, just a few hours’ drive from Kabul, in the months since the departure of U.S. forces in March provides a glimpse into what might await other parts of the country as the Trump administration looks to pull out thousands more troops in the coming weeks — and possibly to withdraw completely by Christmas.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/with-us-troops-gone-taliban-expands-influence-in-one-afghan-province/ar-BB19Tr78?li=BBnb7Kz

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With U.S. troops gone, Taliban expands influence in one Afghan province (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Oct 2020 OP
Trump is a wrecking ball.......... secondwind Oct 2020 #1
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