US ‘building’ military base along Pakistan border

US forces have begun construction of a large military base across the Durand Line, as international troops continue to withdraw from Afghanistan, sources said.

According to the sources, the base is being built at the Shalozan Kurram Agency area in the Tribal Area inside Pakistan – in the Zazai Aryub district which borders Paktia province in Afghanistan.

Members of the Paktia provincial council told Ariana News that the base is under construction 8km from the Durand Line inside Pakistan and “supplies are being delivered via air and ground every day.”

Col Sonny Legget, a spokesman for the US Forces in Afghanistan, however, rejected these reports.

US President Joe Biden in April ordered the withdrawal of all troops by September 11.

So far, the US forces have handed over a base in Helmand and the Kandahar airfield to the Afghan forces.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said last week that the retrograde is between 13 and 20 percent complete.

CENTCOM said in a statement it has withdrawn approximately 115 C-17 military cargo flight loads of material from Afghanistan and turned over more than 5,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction.

The command also noted that they have turned over five facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense.