US wrapping up ops at Bagram and preparing to hand over base

As the U.S. continues with its withdrawal of troops, sources at Bagram Air Base, also known as Bagram Airfield, told BBC that logistical work around handing over the base to the Afghan Ministry of Defense started on Monday.

The Afghan Defense Ministry also confirmed to the BBC that full responsibility for the air base will soon be handed over to Afghan forces.

Bagram Air Base is situated about 20km south of Kabul and has been the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

It has also been the main base for foreign forces, command and air operations for the past two decades and U.S presidents have stayed at the base during visits to Afghanistan.

There is also the famous Bagram prison which has already been handed over to the Afghan military.

Sources also told BBC that millions of dollars in equipment from the base will be handed over to the Afghan defence forces however, this will not include the state-of-the-art rocket defense system.

Bagram base has a single runway capable of handling large military aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy and Antonov An-225.