Afghanistan: deadly attack in Kabul after the American withdrawal from a base in Kandahar
Marines folding an American flag at Kandahar Airport, December 25, 2001 (Image illustration).
AFP - ROB CURTIS
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The United States has withdrawn all of its troops from Kandahar Air Base in southern Afghanistan, one of the largest in the country.
Soon after, a deadly explosion in a Kabul mosque shattered the fragile ceasefire.
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"
This base has not been officially returned to us but I can confirm that they left it on Wednesday,
" said Khoja Yaya Alawi, an Afghan army spokesman in Kandahar.
"
They handed over all the installations to the Afghan forces
," said the director of the Kandahar airport.
This official transfer of power must take place after Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday which, until Saturday, marks the end of the Ramadan fast.
At one time, this base was the second most important for American and international troops present in the country.
Taliban stronghold
Kandahar province is a former Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, and in recent months has been the scene of clashes between insurgents and Afghan forces.
The US military declined to comment immediately on.
Washington and NATO have pledged to withdraw all of their troops still in place by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 2001 attacks. The US military announced on Tuesday that it had advanced 6 to 12 % in its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Deadly explosion in a mosque
A three-day ceasefire began Thursday, May 13 between the insurgents and the Afghan authorities, on the occasion of Eid, after weeks of intense clashes across the country.
But this fragile truce was shattered on the second day, shortly after the American withdrawal from the base in Kandahar.
An explosion in a mosque near Kabul left at least 16 worshipers dead and around 15 injured during Friday prayers, Afghan police said.
►Also read: Afghanistan: violence continues in Kandahar province, residents in disarray
(
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