US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin on July 21 said that the withdrawal of American troops will finish by end of August, reports Tolo News. "We are still on track to finish up [the retrograde] by the end of August," Austin said at a joint press conference with General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Meanwhile, Gen. Mark Milley said that all the military operating bases outside of Kabul have been fully transferred to the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the Afghan Security Forces. “A small contingent of predominantly military personnel, but some civilians and contractors, along with Department of State, remain in Afghanistan to provide security and bolster our diplomatic presence in Kabul. The forces here are key to achieving the five ongoing tasks that the secretary laid out in his comments,” he said.