After a 20-year war, the United States has effectively ended its operations in Afghanistan with little fanfare.

In recent weeks, the Americans have quietly vacated their sprawling military bases in the nation, and without giving Afghan security forces prior notice.

What does this withdrawal look like on the ground?

Guest: Thomas Gibbons-Neff, a correspondent in the Kabul bureau for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• The Americans have handed over Bagram Air Base — once the military’s nerve center — to the Afghans, effectively ending operations.
• Just a mile from the base, where U.S. forces departed on Thursday, shops sell items left over from two decades of fighting. Each one tells a story.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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