1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i The Afghanistan Withdrawal: Military and Defense Implications August 17, 2021 After a rapid Taliban campaign to capture cities and territories formerly controlled by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (G
2、IRoA), on August 15, 2021, the Taliban took Kabul and the President of GIRoA, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country. Information regarding the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and U.S. troop numbers is fluid and should be treated with caution. This Insight, which may be updated as circumstances warra
3、nt, is intended to assist Congress as it considers the military and defense implications of the withdrawal while events unfold. Current Military Footprint and Mission Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) was initiated on July 17, 2021, to support relocation flights for Afghan nationals and their families e
4、ligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). On August 12, 2021, in light of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Ghani the United States would begin reducing its civilian footprint in Kabul, and would ac