US military personnel have begun leaving Shamsi air base in Pakistan, after a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border plunged U.S.-Pakistani relations to an all time low.
More than 70 US marines and CIA operatives are set to leave the base today.
An official told NBC: 'Two U.S. cargo planes reached Shamsi Airport and the loading of the equipment and other cargo items has also started.'
Strong feelings: US Pakistani relations are at an all time low
The Pakistani government had last month demanded the US vacate the air base within 15 days. The US are leaving ahead of their December 11 deadline.
The US is suspected of using the facility to send armed drones to maintain pressure on Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's tribal region.
The government issued the demand after NATO helicopters and jet fighters allegedly attacked two Pakistan posts along the Afghan border, killing 24 soldiers.
Predator drones were initially allowed to land at Shamsi when they couldn't get back to Afghanistan.
The U.S. has lessened its dependency on the base since tensions with Pakistan began to flare up a year ago.
Pakistani security troops stationed near the base were on high alert today as the US began its departure.
Roads to the air base have been cordoned off, according to English-language Samaa TV in Pakistan.
Islamabad has also withdrawn from a December 5 conference in Germany on the future of Afghanistan, and prevented convoys from sending supplies to U.S. military in Afghanistan from Pakistan, Fox News reported.
The US offered commiserations for the loss of life, but it has not admitted responsibility for the attack.
Leaving the base is more of an inconvenience than a genuinely strategic blow.
