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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 124 · Saturday, 17 October 2026

OpFor

Iran condemns US plan to livestream execution as barbaric

Tehran questions whether America has completely abandoned standards of human decency

Vetbro apparel company pivots from stupid shirts to aggressively homoerotic ones

AI deemed ‘too smart’ to replace infantry

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Vol. 15 · No. 124

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Vol. 15 · No. 124 · Deployed worldwide

Saturday

17 October 2026

1026 Zulu

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← Front page
Pentagon · Page 3

US finally leaves Afghanistan

“It is time to close this chapter of American history."

Filed · 0500

THE PENTAGON — In a surprise move, Pentagon officials held a press conference today to announce the last 30 days of the war in Afghanistan.

“It is time to close this chapter of American history,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

Combat operations in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001, in order to counter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

While there was initially a reported plan for withdrawal — and even a version of the “Marshall Plan” for Afghanistan announced by then-President Bush in 2002 — decisions were made to instead also invade Iraq and divert many resources away from Afghanistan.

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