WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the U.S. military will remain involved in the Afghanistan war into September, keeping the option of launching airstrikes against the Taliban to defend Afghan forces. That is the case even as the final combat troops prepare to leave the country in coming days. For weeks, officials have said the withdrawal of the main U.S. military force and its equipment from Afghanistan would be largely complete by this weekend, and that Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander there, would then leave. His exit would mark a turning point in the U.S. mission, but it will not end America’s involvement in the 20-year war.
