US says Afghanistan withdrawal up to 12% ahead of deadline

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The process to fully withdraw US military forces from Afghanistan is 12% complete, Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday.

The military gave an approximate range of between 6% - 12% completion as of May 10, noting the equivalent of 104 C-17 cargo aircraft worth of equipment has been removed from the war-torn country, and 1,800 other pieces of equipment have been destroyed.

US President Joe Biden set a Sept. 11 deadline for all US forces to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, bringing a close to a 20-year war that has cost Washington roughly $2.2 trillion and resulted in about 2,400 military deaths, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University.

CENTCOM said it expects to provide weekly updates on progress toward meeting the president's goal.