KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan, a U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday.
The pullout under President Joe Biden marks the end of America's longest war after a 20-year military engagement. Currently, some 2,500 U.S. soldiers and about 7,000 allied forces are in Afghanistan.
In February last year, the military began closing its smaller bases. In mid-April, the Biden administration announced that the final phase of the withdrawal would begin May 1 and be completed before Sept. 11.
Since then, the military has been shipping equipment and winding down local contracts for services such as trash pickup and maintenance work, the U.S. official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.
While preparations are underway, troops likely probably won't begin departing for a few weeks, he said, adding that "we won't see a coming down of the (troop) numbers" until the remaining bases close.
There have been indications that the pullout could be completed well before Sept. 11, which marks the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaida terror attack on the U.S. and the trigger for the invasion of Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, Germany's Defense Ministry said discussions are underway among military planners with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Kabul for a possible withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan as early as July 4.
U.S. GENERAL CONCERNED
In Washington, meanwhile, the top U.S. general for the Middle East told Congress on Thursday that Afghanistan's military "will certainly collapse" without some continued American support once all U.S. troops are withdrawn.
Gen. Frank McKenzie also said he was very concerned about the Afghan government's ability to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said that as the U.S. pulls out all forces, "my concern is the Afghans' ability to hold ground" and whether they will able to continue to maintain and fly their aircraft without U.S. aid and financial support. He said it will be paramount to protect the embassy, and "it is a matter of great concern to me whether or not the future government of Afghanistan will be able to do that once we leave."
McKenzie has spent the week detailing to lawmakers the steep challenges facing the military as it moves to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11. Walking a careful line, the general has painted a dire picture of the road ahead, while also avoiding any pushback on Biden's decision.
U.S. officials have made it clear that military commanders did not recommend the full, unconditional withdrawal that Biden has ordered. Military leaders have consistently argued for a drawdown based on security conditions in the country, saying that pulling troops out by a certain date eliminates pressure on the Taliban and weakens U.S. leverage in the peace talks.
Still, McKenzie said the Biden administration's "deliberate and methodical" withdrawal discussion "was heartening," implicitly drawing a contrast with former President Donald Trump's penchant for making abrupt troop withdrawal decisions and announcing them by tweet.
In public and private sessions with lawmakers, McKenzie has been pressed about how the U.S. will maintain pressure on the Taliban and prevent terrorist groups from taking hold in Afghanistan again once the United States and its coalition partners leave.
He told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that once troops leave the country, it will take "considerably longer" than four hours to move armed drones or other aircraft in and out of Afghanistan to provide surveillance or counterterrorism strikes. And he said it will require far more aircraft than he is using now.
McKenzie said there are no decisions yet on what size of diplomatic contingent will remain at the U.S. Embassy in the Afghan capital, and whether it will include a security cooperation office. Those decisions, he said, could reflect how the U.S. ensures the defense of the embassy. Marines often provide security at other embassies around the world.
Information for this article was contributed by Kathy Gannon, Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns of The Associated Press.
