On July 5, the Afghan army released photos inside Bagram, the largest US military base in this Central Asian country, which was once the command headquarters for the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda rebel groups, the organization that was attacked by the Afghan army.

On July 2, the Pentagon announced that it would withdraw all forces from Bagram base and complete the final withdrawal from Afghanistan ahead of schedule, initially scheduled for the end of August. However, everything happened quickly.

An Afghan soldier walks past a line of mine-resistant armored vehicles left behind by the US military at Bagram base.

General Mir Asadullah Kohistani, the new commander of the Bagram base, said the Afghan army heard some rumors that US forces would soon withdraw from here, but did not think everything would happen at midnight on July 5.

At about 3 a.m. that morning, the electricity at Bagram base went out, and the American soldiers stationed there silently loaded their equipment onto the plane and left without notifying the local forces.

Afghan forces fiercely criticized the way US soldiers quietly left Bagram base at night without informing local units on patrol around the base perimeter.

`They threw away all 20 years of goodwill by leaving without a word to the Afghan soldiers patrolling the perimeter,` said soldier Naematullah.

Colonel Sonny Leggett, a US military spokesman, did not respond to complaints from Afghan soldiers about the Bagram base, instead repeating a statement last week that said many bases had been handed over to the country.

Before the Afghan army took over the Bagram base, located about an hour’s drive from the capital Kabul, a `raiding army` stormed the property after American soldiers left.

`The sudden onset of darkness was like a signal for looters. They entered from the north, broke down fences, ransacked buildings and loaded everything onto trucks,` said Afghan soldier Abdul Rouf.

They ransacked giant storage tents at barracks inside the base before being driven out, Afghan military officials said.

On July 5, three days after American soldiers left, Afghan soldiers continued to clean up trash at Bagram base left by looters, including empty bottles and cans.

An Afghan soldier sits playing guitar on a cushion amid piles of items left behind by the US military at Bagram base.

General Kohistani said the US left behind about 3.5 million items inside the base, including tens of thousands of bottles of water, energy drinks and military ready-to-eat rations (MRE).

Large items left behind include thousands of civilian vehicles, many without keys, and hundreds of armored vehicles.

General Kohistani affirmed that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces can maintain the fortified Bagram base against Taliban attacks, despite the rebel group’s continuous victories in recent battles.

Taliban attacks occurred continuously after US and NATO soldiers withdrew from Afghanistan.

In northern Afghanistan, the Taliban conquered district after district.

Kohistani said the Afghan army is changing its strategy to focus on protecting strategic districts.

Bagram base is the size of a small city and was once a facility exclusively used by the US and NATO.

One of the two 3,660 m long runways was built in 2006. The base has a waiting room for passengers, a 50-bed hospital, and large tents like hangars with furniture inside.

A series of civilian vehicles were abandoned by the US military at Bagram base.

General Kohistani said that the 20 years of US and NATO war in Afghanistan were `highly appreciated`, but it was time for Afghanistan to stand on its own feet.

`We have to solve our problems. We have to defend our country and once again build it with our own hands,` Kohistani said.