US moving military gear to Afghanistan to support troop’s withdrawal

The Central Command of the US Armed Forces reported that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) has been moved to Afghanistan to ensure the security of the withdrawal of forces from the country.

The HIMARS multiple rocket launchers has been moved from Kuwait to secure the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, CENTCOM announced on its Twitter this week.

“HIMARS is a full-spectrum, 24/7, precision weapons system that can hit targets more than 43 miles (69 km) away,” it said.

This tweet coincided with the announcement by the Pentagon this week that it will send hundreds of troops and dedicated close air support aircraft to Afghanistan to protect U.S. forces during the withdrawal.

Two more B-52s have arrived in the region, joining two more that arrived late last week.

CNN reported that about 650 forces, largely from the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan to help with the withdrawal and that close air support such as AC-130s also will deploy for protection.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said he could not confirm the details in the report, saying “we want to be careful about some elements of our ability to provide force protection,” but the “addition of posture in Afghanistan to assist with this drawdown” is expected.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin has meanwhile reportedly asked U.S. Central Command boss General Kenneth McKenzie to provide an updated drawdown plan by the end of the week, which will include more force protection recommendations, Kirby said.