Afghanistan Has a U.S. Air Base to Sell You

摘要

Almost 200 people gathered at a five-star hotel in Dubai in late September to hear a pitch from Afghan government officials on investing in soon-to-be-vacated U.S. air bases. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Afghan government, drew representatives from companies including FedEx, container handler DP World, and the Al-Futtaim Group, a conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates. Atta Mohammad Noor, the acting governor of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, snowed the crowd a promotional video set to upbeat folk music. U.S. military officials highlighted amenities including cold storage areas, water treatment plants, fuel infrastructure, and warehouses. But with the Taliban mounting an offensive in the northern city of Kunduz, attendees kept asking about security. "I don't want you to think that you're out in the middle of nowhere," U.S. Major Genera Todd Semonite, who oversees the security transition command for the U.S.-led military coalition, told the group. "Very close to these airfields there is a reactionary force of some type that would normally continue to support security forces."