Satirical website 'predicted' US' sudden departure from Afghan base at nigh 10 years ago

Over the weekend, more information concerning the US military's abrupt midnight departure from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, which has served as a vital centre for the US and NATO-led coalition in the nation for nearly two decades, emerged. The final Americans apparently left without warning, presumably for operational security reasons, but as they went, they shut off the power, hindering the base's flowing water.

The nature of the pullout surprised Afghan troops stationed at the site, causing pandemonium that allowed looters to get access. All of this, however, may not have come as a surprise to whoever authored a piece for the satirical news outlet 'The Onion' a decade ago about the end of the US military's presence at this site.

What the Onion's satirical article said

The Onion, a renowned satire website, released a spoof piece titled "The US Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night" in July 2011. “All 100,000 U.S. military and intelligence personnel sneaked out of their barracks in the middle of the night Sunday in what officials said was the “only way” to move on from what has become a “sad and unpleasant” situation,” it reported in its article.

“By the time you read this, we will be gone,” the satirical article claimed of a note left by the US Army. "We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you, but it was necessary for us to do so. We couldn't go on like this forever". The article also claimed that the Afghani troops were asleep when the US left.

The US was considering to leave for a long time

US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett remained tight-lipped on the specifics of why the Americans left so abruptly. However, The United States was considering this for a long time as they realised that the war could not be won. The presidents had promised to bring American soldiers home from Afghanistan, beginning with Barack Obama. But they wanted a secure exit. The Obama administration sent an envoy to Murree in July 2015 for the first meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government led by Pakistan. Murree's words were cut short after the Afghan government revealed two years ago that Taliban leader Mullah Omar had died.