{"id":31309,"date":"2021-04-23T21:31:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T21:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/23\/navy-carrier-air-force-b-52s-army-rangers-to-help-protect-afghanistan-pullout-officials-say\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:17:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:17:02","slug":"navy-carrier-air-force-b-52s-army-rangers-to-help-protect-afghanistan-pullout-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/23\/navy-carrier-air-force-b-52s-army-rangers-to-help-protect-afghanistan-pullout-officials-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy carrier, Air Force B-52s, Army Rangers to help protect Afghanistan pullout, officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has decided to keep an aircraft carrier in the Middle East to help provide protection for American and coalition troops during their planned withdrawal from Afghanistan<\/a> in coming weeks, his spokesman said Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spokesman, John Kirby, said Austin approved an extension of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower\u2019s deployment<\/a> in the Middle East for \u201ca period of time.\u201d He also said two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers have arrived in the region as part of the pre-pullout bolstering of security, which he called a prudent precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt would be foolhardy and imprudent not to assume that there could be resistance and opposition to the drawdown by the Taliban, given their staunch rhetoric,\u201d Kirby said. He said the withdrawal plan was discussed at a meeting Friday of senior defense officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moves back up Pentagon officials\u2019 public assurances that U.S. forces will be prepared to meet whatever resistance the Taliban might present during the withdrawal of more than 10,000 U.S. and coalition troops starting after May 1. About 2,500 to 3,500 of those troops are American.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) — A B-52 Stratofortress, flown by Capt. Will Byers and Maj. Tom Aranda, prepares for refueling over Afghanistan during a close-air-support mission. The KC-135 Stratotanker transfers fuel at about 16 gallons per second. The crew is deployed from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would advise the Taliban that we will be well-prepared to defend ourselves throughout the withdrawal process,\u201d Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to President Joe Biden\u2019s announcement<\/a> last week that he would end the American war in Afghanistan<\/a> by completing the troop withdrawal by Sept. 11, the Taliban had insisted that Washington stick to a February 2020 agreement the militants had reached with the Trump administration to complete the U.S. withdrawal by May 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. officials said after Biden\u2019s announcement that extra military personnel would likely be positioned in Afghanistan to facilitate the pullout of troops and equipment, and the Pentagon typically beefs up its military presence as a precaution when executing a sizeable withdrawal. When the U.S. pulled troops out of Somalia in December it kept an aircraft carrier in the region as a precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirby said some additional troops likely also would be sent to Afghanistan to assist with the withdrawal, but he declined to provide details. Earlier, two other defense officials said hundreds of Army Rangers were to be sent to provide security during the pullout. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss moves that had not yet been announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI would advise the Taliban that we will be well-prepared to defend ourselves throughout the withdrawal process,\u201d said Gen. 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