and the last several days it looks like u.s. forces are going to be going well before the september 11th deadline. but they are not making a big show of it. this is not like the withdrawal from iraq when we were able to ride with the last convoy out and the u.s. military wanted to show the american public it was leaving, ending a costly war. there is quietly in a stealth way. there san active insurgency here, the taliban is armed and aggressive and the u.s. it seems wants to leave without antagonizing the taliban and coming under fire so they re packing up quietly, leaving, generally the military is putting you the its own images of the departure ceremony, not inviting large groups of journal is or virks, ps to witness the departure ceremonies.
richard, what are we expecting now? reporter: the first part u.s. troops are leaving this country. nato troops, coalition partners are leaving with them. some of the coalition partners express concern. they thought that this country is not ready to be completely on its own, the afghan government and security forces aren t strong enough to stand up against the taliban and need support. since the u.s. is leaving the coalition partners are leaving as well and today with the departure from bagram, it took a major, the u.s. took a major step toward that final departure. it is not just bagram. the u.s. has been shutting down evacuating personnel from lots of bases over the last several days and weeks. the ultimate deadline for all u.s. troops to be out of here is september 11th. based on what s happened today
we have a few seconds. it s been a decade since i was in afghanistan but my vivid memories talking to young women there who saw opportunity ahead and a different life than their mothers and fathers had had, now the taliban was not ruling there. what does this mean for women in afghanistan, what is the concern on the ground? reporter: they are very concerned. the median age is 19 1/2 so many young women, many afghans never experienced the taliban and do not want to experience the taliban. they have living a new life under american protection and very concerned about the opportunities going away and going back to medieval taliban-style rule. they do not want it and very afraid. i was talking to young women about this today and they are looking at options, seeing if they can leave the country, seeing how they could study abroad. they re nervous.
it s happening quietly. this after 20 years of being here in afghanistan. the major question is what will happen to this country? this is the second point you said the taliban has been taking over district centers. it has. not just the south and the east, traditional taliban 50 district centers have been taken over by the taliban just in the last couple of months and the way they ve been taken over is significant. you ve seen the afghan security forces, local police and military in some cases collapsing, handing over their weapons and outposts and surrendering themselves to the taliban, using this as a propaganda video putting out lots of images of afghan soldiers and police turning themselves, in the some cases taliban commanders giving the soldiers pocket money to go home and embracing them and telling them things will be okay. it s a big propaganda victory for the taliban.
this means for women and the progress they have made. are you satisfied how the biden administration handled this? i understand the public weariness with our presence in afghanistan and it s the reason why this was initiated during the trump administration and continued to be carried out by the biden administration. i have concerns about the taliban potentially overtaking the afghan government and recreating a terrorist safe haven from which they can launch attacks against u.s. interests and allies. i m also concerned about afghani women and the folks who worked with our troops. my family fled vietnam and parents affiliated with the u.s. military and i don t want to see the same situation that happened when the u.s. left vietnam happen here in afghanistan to the folks affiliated with the u.s. military. congresswoman stephanie murphy, thank you so much. appreciate it. coming up at 3:00 p.m.