Factbox-Bagram: the Soviet-built air strip that became America’s main Afghan base By Reuters
KABUL (Reuters) - The departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan's Bagram air base on Friday marks the end of a 20-year war. Here are some facts about the Soviet-built air strip, which has served as the main base for two super powers that waged campaigns to subdue Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan. The airfield, built in the 1950s against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and once visited by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1959, became a vital military hub for the Soviet Union after it invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets withdrew in 1989. By the 1990s,...
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