The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is over 90 percent complete, Pentagon’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday, indicating the country is just days away from ending its 20-year-long military presence in the war-torn country. 

The CENTCOM said it had handed over seven military bases to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, and shipped over 1000 C-17 air freighter loads of equipment from Afghanistan. The US is all set to complete its withdrawal this week, well ahead of the previous September 11 deadline announced by US President Joe Biden in April. 

Since the last phase of the withdrawal began late in April, the Taliban, the main Afghan insurgent group that is now eyeing power, has made rapid advances on the battlefield, well over 100 districts in the country’s north. 

Last week, the United States vacated Bagram airfield, the largest military base in Afghanistan, some 35 miles north of Kabul. Surprisingly, the US forces left the base without informing Afghan commanders in advance. "We came to know about it an hour after they left the base", an Afghan commander said. 

Media reports say the United States will keep around 650 troops in the country for the protection of its embassy in Kabul. Concern regarding the safety of embassies and diplomats is growing, with many nations already ordered the closure of their consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif. 
 
In the last few weeks, the Taliban swept most districts in the north and encircled many provincial centers. Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan have already closed their consulates in Mazar, the biggest district in northern Afghanistan.