Overnight on 1-2 July US forces pulled out from Bagram airbase. Bagram, a Soviet-era airbase about 50 km north of Kabul, had been the linchpin of US and NATO operations throughout the 20-year campaign. … The news broke as the USA was going into the 4 July Independence Day holiday weekend. In Washington, President Biden … was pressed by journalists about the situation in Afghanistan. One asked him direct: ‘Are you worried that the Afghan Government might fall?’ Biden was clearly irritated by the questions, replying: ‘I want to talk about happy things, man.’
Friday 2 July 2021
Edited extract from Kabul: Final Call by Laurie Bristow.