i want to go to cnn's oren liebermann at the pentagon. you're just learning that even though the u.s. military's almost gone, there's still a chance of military action. >> reporter: there are still options and authorities. first, military leaders have made it clear that they retain the authority to carry out counterterrorism operations against taliban, isis k. as well as al qaeda if they feel that those organizations or others pose a threat to u.s. allies. the process for approval, whether it goes through the local levels or has to go through the white house, that's still being worked out by the biden administration. but, again, military leaders have made it clear they have the authority to carry out counterterrorism operations. we have just learned that military leaders will retain the authority to carry out strikes on the taliban in support of afghan forces, to try to help them out especially as they're in a very difficult battle, won by many accounts that they're not winning against the taliban. the taliban are carrying out airstrikes t

cnn's oren liebermann joins us from the pentagon. oren, i know, spoken to a lot of people in that building who are deeply fearful as well of the consequence who opposed it under this administration and the prior administration. what do you hear about the levelful that concern and how they answer those concerns? >> reporter: for many here in the pentagon, it is a surreal moment. many here have spent time in afghanistan, specifically bagram air force base, the entry point for tens of thousands of troops and the exit point for those troops as well, as well as 2,000 service members who died in afghanistan. it is almost impossible for them to comprehend a bagram air base without american troops there after two decades. there are serious concerns about what will happen to the country. they are monitoring as best they can the events of the taliban as well as the support they can offer at this point, at least, in the last few days of the u.s. military presence in afghanistan. two afghan air forces, as they try to retake a number of districts.

let's head to the pentagon and oren liebermann.unning out for the administration to make decisions about this policy? >> reporter: effectively, yes, there's a matter of weeks left million the u.s. is done with the withdrawal of forces from afghanistan. the clock is ticking. u.s. military leaders made it clear they'll continue counterterrorism strikes on suspected terrorists planning attacks against the u.s. homeland or the homeland of allies. but the policies, the procedures, the approvals around that are still being discussed and debated. here's a look at some of the considerings and these are challenges for the administration to work through this in the remaining time. one, the administration is considering raising the bar for carrying out the sorts of strikes. the levels, the discussions, the risk posed by these, raising the bar for when they're carried out. beyond that, they're debating whether to remove afghanistan as a combat zone. now that the fighting in afghanistan is over, should it be labeled a combat zone? and that affe

oren liebermann has more from the pentagon. >> reporter: the defense department said the withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan is now more than 90% complete, meaning that president biden's mission to get u.s. forces out of afghanistan and he said the war on terror in that country is effectively finished at this point. the vast majority of troops in the country now will remain there as part of the 650 or so that will take part in embassy security as well as assisting to secure the airport. effectively making sure the did enl diplomatic mission can continue to function. asked why it took two months to withdraw 90% and another two months to withdraw the final 10%, john kirby says it is not a linear process. and it will take time to effectively protect them because of the emphasis on force protection. but just because this process of withdrawal is nearing its please, it doesn't mean there are unanswered questions. u.s. contractors who have supported the afghan military and air force, where and how do they work over the horizon, those conversations are on doing oig. as are the conversa

let's bring in our oren liebermann. he is live at the pentagon. oren, good morning. >> good morning, poppy. the last flights of u.s. and coalition forces left bagram air force base. two flights leaving thursday night. one leaving on friday morning and that's it. that's the end of the u.s. presence at bagram air force base. a field that became the symbol and the base from which operations were launched throughout the country. 20 years ago when the u.s. arrived, it was essentially a dilapidated air field left over from the russian presence in afghanistan. it became a mini city, in its own right. one with gyms, chlassrooms, really a miniature city that became the entry point for tens of thousands of troops in the war against tarerror. it is surreal, to many here, to think that bagram air force base, so long a u.s. presence, no longer has u.s. troops there. truly, a milestone, as the u.s. nears completion of its withdrawal. of course, where does afghanistan go from here? the taliban is making significant gains throughout the country. picking up distric

anna coren in kabul and oren liebermann at the pentagon. you both for your reporting. >>> police right now are urgently looking for a person who shot and killed a golf pro and two others. the clues officials are digging into up next. you already pay for car insurance, why not take your home along for the ride? allstate. here, better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands. click or call to bundle today. (upbeat music) - [narrator] this is kate. she always wanted her smile to shine. now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted. (crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. ♪ when i was young ♪ no-no-no-no-no please please no. ♪ i never needed anyone. ♪ front desk. yes, hello... i'm so... please hold. ♪ those days are done. ♪ i got you. ♪ all by yourself. ♪ go with us and find millions of flexible options. all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. [♪] if you have diabetes, it's important

cnn's oren liebermann has more from the pentagon. >> reporter: u.s.his comes as the taliban is making tremendous gains very quickly in the countryside of afghanistan, taking over districts and pushing back the afghan military. now, every u.s. embassy has an evacuation plan, especially those that are in war zones or conflict zones such as afghanistan and kabul. but with bagram air base closing, that takes out one of the options to get u.s. troops and contractors out so those plans need to be updated. a senior official says the plans are in depth and extensive because they need to be able to be implemented very quickly should a situation arise in which the u.s. needs to evacuate its citizens out of afghanistan. that senior defense official stresses there is no need right now to get everybody out. that would be the remaining 650 or so troops as the u.s. nears the withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan as well as the diplomatic presence and a few hundred contractors that remain to help the afghan military. but the u.s. intelligence community is very c

cnn's oren liebermann is joining us from the pentagon. what exactly are you hearing?s, pushing back afghan military, picking up and taking over districts, has added to the urgency of needing to update the evacuation plans for the embassy, u.s. contractors and troops in afghanistan, now down to a dwindling number as the evacuation and withdraw of u.s. troops in the country is pretty much kbleet. most of the troops there at this point are for embassy security and airport security, necessary to get diplomats in and out, especially now. of course, that becomes more urgent now that bagram air base is shut down. fewer options, fewer paths to get troops and u.s. citizens out of the country. those plans being updated especially given afghanistan and the history of conflict and the ongoing fighting in the counted. a senior defense official says intelligence estimates are a bit all over the place in terms of what the taliban will do, when they will do it and how they will do it. nevertheless, because of the state of the country and what the intelligence community is seeing with

here is cnn's oren liebermann, at the pentagon. >>> the final withdrawal of u.s.lition forces from bagram airbase just north of kabul in afghanistan is a major milestone, after nearly-20 years of a u.s. presence at the sprawling military complex that became the heart of u.s. operations in the country. what was a dilapidated runway when u.s. forces showed up shortly after 9/11, became a mini city in its own right. complete with shops, gyms, classrooms. many, if not all, of the tens of thousands of troops who fought in the war on terror in afghanistan entered the country through bagram. and nearly all of the 2,400 service members who lost their lives in that war came home in their final journey, from bagram air force base. the closure of the base, or rather the transfer of the base, from the u.s. to the afghan military, is an indication that the final withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan is nearly complete. on friday, the pentagon and the -- and the white house said the completion -- the complete withdrawal would be done by the end of august. now, that's a bit

oren liebermann, cnn, the pentagon. >>> and as troops withdrawal, the u.s. is also scrambling to protect thousands of afghan translators who could be targeted. officials tell cnn that the biden administration is asking a number of central asian countries to take them in. the top republican in the house foreign affairs committee says that there should have been a better plan. earlier i spoke with co-foipdco of the association of wartime allies and she weighed in on what should be done to keep the translators safe. >> right now i believe that every special immigrant, visa applicant from the u.s., needs to be evacuated immediately. i also think that this sey shoue taken to a u.s. territory and not a third country. there are asylum laws and immigration laws that would protect them should they fail to earn the most difficult visa there is to earn in the united states. >> and what location are you talking about, where do you think these thousands of afghan translators should be moved to? >> we've had many discussions with guam from their government leaders to thei

oren liebermann has our report. >> reporter: for general scott miller the war is over.ght to follow him is just beginning. on wednesday, the white house finally announced its plan to evacuate afghan interpreters and their families who helped the u.s. during 20 years of war calling it operation allies refuge. >> our objective is to get individuals eligible relocated out of the country in advance of the withdrawal of troops at the end of august. >> reporter: the flights are set to begin next week but the white house won't say exactly when or where the flights will go for security reasons. president biden promised a place in the u.s. for the afghans who wanted to come. >> we'll stand with you just as you stood with us. >> reporter: but the u.s. has processed only 2035 special immigrant visa applications since the start of the year, less than biden's claim of 2500 and there are still more 15,000 whose applications are still being processed. something that typically takes two years. complicating matters, some of the applicants are in remote areas of the country, not kabul. >

i want to bring in our pentagon correspondent oren liebermann.e took an oath, he took an oath to the constitution of the united states. the defense secretary jumping in there at the end as well to back him up, saying there isn't a political bone in his body. >> that was an important point and one where defense secretary lloyd austin showed very publicly that he is very much behind general mark milley when it comes to this specific issue. the point that general milley made about taking an oath to the constitution and not to a king, not to a leader, not to a monarch but to the constitution. it is one he has emphasized repeatedly. it's a statement of fact. it's in the oath of service. it's one that in this charged political environment has taken a political overtone. it's important that he came back to it and said this is not a political statement, this is how he views his job. it is his job to give what he called the best professional military advice not only to former president trump but to this president, joe biden, as well as to the defense secr

. >> oren liebermann, there is a lot of concern on the ground there.mplete, the white house has yet to finalize the policy for pursuing terrorism groups which continue to be active in afghanistan. katie bowe williams joins me now. does this mean they haven't worked out the strategy for drone strikes, special forces missions, et cetera? because you have two components of that, the u.s. military but also the cia. and if so, how is that possible that they haven't worked it out? >> yeah, so for months now the biden administration has been reviewing what it calls its lee lethal force authority in afghanistan after this withdraw is complete and the war is declared to be officially over. now that does include both d.o.d. and cia authorities but what we're talking about here is drone strikes against suspected terrorists. and part of that review is looking at whether or not after the withdrawal is completed, after the u.s. is officially no longner afghanistan, whether or not that bar needs to be raised, whether or not it needs to be more difficult to carry out

cnn's oren liebermann now reports. >> reporter: for general scott miller, the commander of u.s.nistan, the war is over. but for thousands of others, the fight to follow him is just beginning. on wednesday the white house finally announced its plan to evacuate afghan interpreters and their families who helped the u.s. during 20 years of war, calling it operation allies refuge. >> our objective is to get individuals who are eligible relocated out of the country in advance of the withdrawal of troops at the end of august. >> reporter: the flights are set to begin next week, but the white house won't say exactly when or where the flights will go for security reasons. president joe biden last week promised a safe haven, a place in the u.s. for the afghans who wanted to come. >> we will stand with you just as you stood with us. >> reporter: but the u.s. has processed only 2,035 special immigrant visa applications since the start of the year, less than biden's claim of 2,500, and there are still more than 15,000 afghans whose applications are still being processed. something that typic