US To End Its Combat Mission In Iraq | UPSC | Why In The News ?Â
- U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sealed an agreement recently formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021
- There are currently 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq focusing on countering the remnants of ISIS.
- However, American forces will still operate in an advisory role.
- The U.S. role in Iraq will shift entirely to training and advising the Iraqi military to defend itself.
About Afghanistan :Â
- Afghanistan is a landlocked mountainous country in Southern Asia.
- It is situated in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.
- Afghanistan is a rugged, inhospitable mountainous landscape.
- More than 50% of the total land area lies above 6,500 ft. (2,000 m).
- It all culminates in the high peaks of the Hindu Kush, where extensions of the Pamir Mountains, Karakorum Mountains and the Himalayas all come together.
- Afghanistan is drained by numerous rivers; significant ones include the Amu Dar’ya, Hari, Helmand, and the Kabul – directly east of the capital city, flowing down into the Indus River in Pakistan.
- In 2009 Afghanistan designated a portion of the Hindu Kush Mountains, known as Band-e Amir, their first national park.
- The park contains six deep blue lakes, Band-e Gholaman, Band-e Qambar, Band-e Haibat, Band-e Panir, Band-e Pudina and Band-e Zulfiqar.
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It is bordered by six nations –
- By Pakistan in the east and south
- Iran in the west
- Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north
- China in the northeast.
Source – The HinduÂ