Afghanistan how many troops

And according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Unama , nearly , civilians have been killed or injured since it began systematically recording civilian casualties in Read more from Reality Check.

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Last year, there were just 4, US troops. Republican senators also questioned why Mr Biden had promised to keep the military in place until all US citizens were evacuated, given that there are still Americans in Afghanistan weeks after the final withdrawal. Finally, both generals firmly stated that al-Qaeda is still present in Afghanistan - directly contradicting Biden's earlier statement that the terrorist organisation had been eradicated.

All that gave Republicans ammunition to accuse the president of lying to the American people. Mr Biden didn't have to make such sweeping assurances. He could have simply said he considered the military's advice but stood by his decision to withdraw. Like many politicians before him, however, he talked his way into trouble.

Tuesday's hearing began with opening testimony from Mr Austin, followed by Gen Milley, who said it would now be harder to protect Americans from terrorist attacks from Afghanistan. Gen Milley said he made an assessment in late that an accelerated troop withdrawal from Afghanistan could precipitate the government's collapse.

But both he and Mr Austin both testified that the speed of the collapse caught the US military off-guard. In the weeks between the fall of Kabul and the withdrawal deadline of 31 August, the US evacuated its remaining 4, troops. It is also taking about 50, Afghan refugees who were airlifted out of Kabul.

Biden broke that promise. But how many Americans are left? The White House puts the figure at to , while one Republican lawmaker suggested the figure was much higher.

The exact number of Americans still in Afghanistan who want to leave is unknown. In his Aug. Biden, Aug. Most of those who remain are dual citizens, longtime residents who had earlier decided to stay because of their family roots in Afghanistan.

The effort to get more Americans out of the country picked up in mid-August , just before the Taliban took complete control of the country. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. Central Command, said in an Aug.

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