The United States has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in good time.
Following the end of a frantic evacuation that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops were jubilant celebrations all over the country, as Taliban leaders pledge to secure the country, quickly reopen the besieged airport and grant amnesty to former opponents.
{SOT}
The United States' frantic evacuation may have come apart at the seams, but as the last U.S. military aircraft departed Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. Washington time, or 11:59 p.m. in Kabul, the somewhat haphazard airlift finally come to an end.
It was a harrowing ordeal for the thousands of U.S. troops, who had spent two week enabling an orderly airlift of tens of thousands of Americans, and civilians seeking to flee the country once again under Taliban rule.
While U.S. troops and civilians who boarded the last planes leaving Afghanistan are on their way back to the United States or a sanctuary for civilians, triumphant Taliban leaders celebrated the end of the nearly 20-year costly and catastrophic war.
There were jubilant celebrations in every nook and cranny of the country, as Afghans who stayed in their country celebrated freedom.
Standing on Kabul International Airport's tarmac as the last U.S. military aircraft took off from the airport, megalomaniac Taliban leaders immediately vowed to secure the country, quickly reopen the besieged airport, and mend their ways by granting amnesty to former opponents.
Having regained control of Afghanistan and flanked by the Taliban's elite Badri battalion, the commandos in camouflage uniforms proudly posed for photos.
Pledging the Taliban will not renege on its promise to restore security, peace and stability to the country is one thing, but leading the nation of 38 million people that for two decades had lived on billions of dollars in foreign aid proves a daunting and herculean task.
Back in Washington, the U.S. Secretary of State hailed the military-led evacuation as heroic and lauded allies and diplomats for their cooperation.
Antony Blinken: I want to commend our outstanding diplomats who worked around the clock, and around the world, to coordinate the operation. U.S. service members in Kabul did heroic work securing the airport, protecting civilians of many nationalities - including tens of thousands of Afghans - and airlifting them out.
Antony Blinken also touched upon the number of Americans that are still in Afghanistan. He elucidated that officials are still trying to determine exactly how many Americans have yet to be airlifted.
Blinken: We believe there are still a small number of Americans - under 200 and likely closer to 100 - who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave. We're trying to determine exactly how many.
As for America's plan for the coming weeks, U.S. diplomatic presence in Afghanistan would shift to Doha, Qatar.
The end of America's war fulfilled Biden's pledge to end what he described as a "forever war" that are subsequent to the 9/11 attacks.
Biden's decision, announced in April, reflected a national weariness of the conflict in the embattled Afghanistan. But Biden's handling of the frantic evacuation had people at home and abroad criticising him, as the evacuation was marked by shambles and two deadly suicide bombings that injured and killed both civilians and U.S. troops. He now faces the music as the aforementioned decision has raised a few eyebrows and doubts about America's credibility.
For now, Afghanistan remains at a crossroads as the Taliban will have to decide whether to zero in on getting recognition from western powers, or restoring security and stability to Afghanistan first.
Comments