U.S. military officials announced on July 16 that they abandoned an outpost near the town of Wanat in Afghanistan, near the country’s border with Pakistan.
U.S. troops fled the outpost due to fierce resistance from Afghan forces. On July 13, the U.S. military was attacked, leaving nine soldiers dead—the largest single-day death toll in Afghanistan in the last three years.
NATO officials have said that, rather than have forces stay at the abandoned base, international and local troops would “retain a strong presence in the area with patrolling and by other means.”
These recent events are yet another indicator of the resistance the U.S. military faces in the region. In June, 900 prisoners were set free in a calculated assault by Afghan resistance forces.
