Earlier this week, Afghan National Army soldiers participate in a military demonstration in Kabul. They are preparing for the departure of foreign troops from Wardak, a strategic province near the capital.<br/> <br />Wednesday, an Afghan defense ministry spokesman told reporters in Kabul that the elite U.S. special forces would quit Wardak within a few days, despite earlier U.S. concerns that their departure would leave a security vacuum.<br/> <br />The expulsion of U.S. special forces has raised fears that Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami militants might use Wardak, just a 40-minute drive from Kabul, as a launch pad for attacks on the capital.<br/> <br />Afghan President Hamid Karzai first ordered their expulsion last month, after villagers accused them of torturing and killing civilians, an allegation the U.S. special forces denied.<br/> <br />Despite the deadline for their departure expiring over a week ago, U.S. special forces tasked with fighting the Taliban are still operating there, U.S. and Afghan offici
