Afghanistan Withdrawal

PowerPoint Show by Andrew

As of today, there are reportedly fewer than 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with a withdrawal deadline looming at the end of the year.

How many soldiers will stay after the deadline remains in question, as the outcome of the recent Afghan presidential election remains in dispute, and the signing of any long-term agreements is on hold. For the past year, many coalition forces have been involved with what they term retrograde operations, defined by the U.S. Army as "defensive tasks that involve organized movement away from the enemy."

Gathered here are images of recent retrograde operations in Afghanistan, from demolition and remediation to demilitarization and evacuation.

Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles wait in a staging area for onward movement at an undisclosed base in Southwest Asia.

An Australian soldier takes the Australian flag after it was lowered at Joint Multinational Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, on December 11, 2013.

A CH-53E Super Stallion assigned with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 (HMH-462) transports a Humvee over Helmand province.

U.S. Soldiers help clear out Combat Outpost Talukan in the Panjwa'i District of Kandahar province.

Two U.S. marines discuss their plan for the deconstruction of the command operation center in Helmand Province on August 14, 2014.

A U.S. soldier drags tent material at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron, Bagram Air Field, load MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles onto a C-17.

Army engineers deconstruct a building at Kandahar Air Field.

An Afghan driver watches as a water truck is loaded onto his flatbed truck on Bagram Air Field on June 25, 2014.

A convoy of U.S. Marine Corps MRAP vehicles travel down Route 1, near Gereshk, Helmand province, on May 4, 2014.

294th Infantry Regiment, sit tightly packed into a CH-47 Chinook filled with duffel bags and rucksacks during a flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan.

A U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II peels away after being in-air refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over Eastern Afghanistan on August 16, 2014.

Estonian soldiers fold their nation's flag for the last time in a ceremonial flag lowering in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on May 9, 2014.

Army engineers deconstruct a building at Kandahar Air Field.

A US Army M-88 demolishs Hesco barriers ahead of the withdrawal from Forward Operating Base Pasab in Kandahar province.

U.S. engineers use heavy equipment to clear the remains of structures from a deconstruction site at Bagram Air Field.

A guard tower that was once in a heavily populated area on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank is now surrounded by open land.

Closure operations come to an end and U.S. troops prepare to leave Forward Operating Base Walton. The FOB served as a strategic joint operating base with Afghan National Security Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Multiple vehicles line up as they prepare to convoy back with the last supplies, equipment and team members from Forward Operating Base Delaram II, Nimroz province, Afghanistan, on April 8, 2014.

A C-130 Hercules aircraft out of Forward Operating Base Sharana, Paktika province.

Soldiers with the Kingdom of Jordan fold their flag during a ceremony at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, on July 23, 2014.

Airmen from the 376th Expeditionary Squadron demilitarize camouflage netting in a waste holding yard here on May 9, 2014.

A U.S. soldier guides trucks full of wood and other materials off Forward Operating Base Walton, on July 16, 2014.

Royal Tongan Marines participate in a "haka," a ceremonial dance, during a flag lowering ceremony.

The retrograde of Patrol Base Boldak in mid-August of 2014.

Australian soldiers load up the back of a plane before departing Joint Multinational Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan.

A U.S. marine performs a weapons check before an aerial assault support mission covering ground convoys in Helmand province, on May 3, 2014.

Soldiers with the Republic of Georgia lower their flag during a ceremony at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 15, 2014.

U.S. Marines load a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter into a C-17 Globemaster at Camp Bastion, Helmand province.