In the dark of the night, a minute before the midnight deadline, the last U.S. military aircraft taxied down the runway of Kabul’s airport and disappeared into the sky. With its departure, the United States officially ended its 20-year military presence in Afghanistan—the longest war in American history. As the roar of the engines faded, celebratory gunfire from Taliban fighters erupted across the capital, marking a definitive shift in the region's power.
The Pentagon released a haunting green-tinted night-vision photo of Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, stepping onto the final flight. General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, announced the completion of the withdrawal during a press briefing, stating, "I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens."
While the withdrawal is complete, the final weeks were marred by chaos and tragedy. Following the rapid fall of the Afghan government on August 15, thousands of desperate civilians swarmed the airport. The mission faced its darkest day last Thursday when an ISIS-K suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and over 170 Afghans. Despite the evacuation of over 120,000 people, Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that a small number of Americans—estimated at under 200—who wished to leave remained in the country.
