Roughly 650 American troops will remain in Afghanistan after withdrawal, Pentagon

The troops will stay behind to guard the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan after the withdrawal.

Published: June 25, 2021 12:14pm

Updated: June 25, 2021 2:16pm

Roughly 650 U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan after forces withdraw from the country by the end of the summer, according to U.S. officials. 

The troops are expected to stay at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the withdrawal, the officials on Thursday told the Associated Press.

Another several hundred troops will also stay behind after the withdrawal to help Turkish forces with security at the airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Those troops are likely to stay in the country until September. 

Officials say the major withdrawal, of roughly 3,500 troops, will be mostly complete by July 4. President Biden has set a goal of pulling out nearly all service members from the country by Sept. 11– 20 years after the terror attacks on the U.S. that resulted in U.S. troops going to Afghanistan.

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