The U.S. military withdrew completely from Afghanistan Monday night through Tuesday, the Pentagon announced, leaving the country in the hands of the Taliban, its enemies in a 20-year war.
U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson and General Chris Donahue were the last Americans to board the plane, the Pentagon said. Donahue, commander-in-chief of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, became the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, the Department of Defense revealed Monday.
The Pentagon posted on its Twitter account a photograph of the military shortly before boarding a C-17, the military plane that took off from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport on Monday at 3:29 p.m. east coast of the US (19.29 GMT) and with which the United States ended the longest war in its history.
SEE: At least six more rockets were detonated against Kabul airport
The 82nd Airborne Division is a U.S. Army parachute infantry division based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. According to information from its web portal, this division has fought in the First and Second World Wars, in the Gulf War (1990-1991); during the U.S. invasion of Panama (December 20, 1989 to January 3, 1990) and in the war in Iraq (2003-2011). Donahue, a 52-year-old U.S. military officer, has held staff and command posts for U.S. Army Special Operations units. UU.
US soldiers board a US Air Force plane at Kabul airport on August 30, 2021. Photo AFPLThe withdrawal from the United States ended 24 hours before the end of August 31, the deadline set by President Joe Biden, who plans to address a speech to American citizens.
The Pentagon had admitted Monday that it could not evacuate as many people from Afghanistan as it would have liked, a failure that sparked sharp criticism of the Republican opposition.
The president abandoned “Americans at the mercy of terrorists,” Republican minority leader in Congress Kevin McCarthy said.
SEE: Terror in Afghanistan: Taliban “Go from house to house looking for women and girls to marry”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the suspension of his diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and the relocation of operations to Doha (Qatar), from where he will continue to “help” the 100 to 200 Americans he loves. who stayed in the country.
He also assured that Washington will “work” with the Taliban if they keep their promises. “Every step we take will be based not on what the Taliban government says, but on what it does to fulfill its commitments,” he said.
– Giant air bridge –
Since August 14, during 18 days of evacuations against the clock, more than 123,000 foreigners and civilians have been evacuated from the airport of Acceptance, Indicated the Pentagon.
These dangerous operations were marred by a suicide bombing perpetrated on August 26 by the local arm of the Islamic State group, which caused more than a hundred deaths, including 13 U.S. soldiers.
The hasty withdrawal and evacuation is explained by the speed with which the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, which shocked Washington and its allies.
LEA: The United States withdraws from Afghanistan ending a 20-year war
The insurgents took advantage of the start of the international retreat in May to launch a lightning offensive against government forces. In just ten days in August, they took over the major cities in the face of the collapse of government Acceptance, Which fell on 15 August.
Thus, the Islamist movement returned to power 20 years after it was overthrown by the US invasion that began on October 7, 2001, in response to the Taliban’s refusal to hand over Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, after the 9/11 attacks.
Their image as an international power is tarnished after this war that has cost them 2,500 casualties and $ 2.313 billion, according to a study by Brown University.
– Tension to the end –
The return of Islamists to power forced Westerners to rush to evacuate from the airport Acceptance to its citizens and Afghans who could be retaliated against by the Taliban, especially for having worked for foreign forces.
Thousands of people arrived desperately at the airport Acceptance, Where scenes of chaos and panic were experienced, with people trying to cling to the planes taking off.
Tension has risen in recent days over the threat of the Islamic State of Khorasan (EI-K).
On Sunday, the Pentagon claimed to have destroyed with a drone a car bomb of this group heading to the airport, an attack that could have caused civilian deaths.
And on Monday, the jihadist group demanded the launch of six rockets against the aerodrome, which was able to continue its operations.
Although they are also radical Sunnis, ISIS-K is an enemy of the Taliban and responsible for the worst massacres in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years.
In an interview with AFP, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid indicated that these actions by the jihadist group must end “as they see an Islamic government being set up with the departure of foreign powers.”
In their return to power, the Islamists promised a regime different from that imposed between 1996 and 2001, based on an ultra-strict interpretation of Islamic law that banned games, music, photography, television or women’s work. .
Hours before the U.S. march, a World Health Organization plane landed in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif with 12.5 tons of drugs and medical supplies, in the first shipment of medical aid to country since the rise of the Taliban.