Afghanistan: Two decades of the US at Bagram base

US soldiers before eating Christmas dinner at Bagram in 2001

Getty Images United States Army soldiers toast each other before eating Christmas dinner December 25, 2001 at Bagram Air Force Base — US soldiers before eating Christmas dinner at Bagram in 2001

For the US and Nato, the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has been the epicentre of the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda for some 20 years.

The US-led coalition forces moved in during December 2001, and it was developed into a huge base capable of holding up to 10,000 troops.

Now they have left as President Joe Biden vows to have all US forces gone by 11 September.

The Taliban have welcomed news of the withdrawal from the base.

The Afghan military will now take over Bagram as part of its ongoing fight against the Taliban.

An army sergeant hands out flyers to local children near the base in May 2002

Getty Images Army Staff Sgt. Rodolfo Arrendondo, from Abilene, TX, hands out flyers from the Army's 345th Psychological Operations Company to a group of local children May 26, 2002 near Bagram airbase in Afghanistan — An army sergeant hands out flyers to local children near the base in May 2002

An American solider jokes with locals outside the base in December 2001

Getty Images A US Army soldier jokes with local Afghanistan civilians December 2, 2001 outside Bagram — An American solider jokes with locals outside the base in December 2001

The airfield was built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, becoming its main base in the 1980s as it defended its occupation of Afghanistan.

The US inherited the base when it overthrew the Taliban in 2001. Bagram was in ruins after being abandoned, but the Americans rebuilt the base and it eventually grew to around 30 square miles (77 sq km).

It is served by two runways, the most recent of which is just more than two miles long, where large cargo and bomber aircraft can land.

At one point it boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas - and even fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.

US soldiers return to Bagram from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in March 2002

Getty Images Army soldiers return to Bagram airbase from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in March 2002 — US soldiers return to Bagram from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in March 2002

George W Bush poses with troops at the base in March 2006

AFP via Getty Images US President George W. Bush poses with American troops at Bagram Air Force Base, March 2006 — George W Bush poses with troops at the base in March 2006

A Burger King trailer is delivered to Bagram in 2004

Getty Images A Burger King trailer is unloaded from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft May 19, 2004 at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan — A Burger King trailer is delivered to Bagram in 2004

Bagram included a prison for people detained by US forces at the height of the conflict, which became known as Afghanistan's Guantanamo - after the infamous US military prison in Cuba.

It was one of the sites identified in a US Senate report on the CIA's interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, including the use of torture, carried out in detention facilities.

George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all visited the base during their tenures as president.

American soldiers guard the site of a suicide attack at the base in June 2006

AFP via Getty Images US soldiers stand guard at the site of a suicide attack near the main US base in Afghanistan at Bagram on 26 June 2006. — American soldiers guard the site of a suicide attack at the base in June 2006

An American soldier holds his head during prayers at the base to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks

Getty Images An American soldier holds his head during prayers on September 11, 2011 at Bagram Air Field — An American soldier holds his head during prayers at the base to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks

Getty Images Bagram base in 2013 — Bagram base in 2013

About 650 US troops are expected to remain in the country, the Associated Press reports, to provide protection for diplomats and help guard Kabul's international airport, a vital transport hub for the landlocked country.

The ability of Afghan forces to keep control of the base could be essential in maintaining security in Kabul and keeping pressure on the Taliban.

The exit of foreign forces from Bagram base "symbolises that Afghanistan is alone, abandoned, and left to defend itself against the Taliban's onslaught", Afghanistan expert Nishank Motwani told the Reuters news agency.

"Having reached home, Americans and allied forces will now watch what they fought so hard to build over 20 years burn down from afar and knowing that the Afghan men and women they fought with risk losing everything."