Afghanistan: American Forces Fly Out of Kabul a Day Before Formal Deadline
- The final United States military flight has left Kabul, officially ending the country’s 20-year war in Afghanistan
- The final flight capped a bloody and chaotic end to the conflict, as fighting and terror attacks amid the evacuation scramble left hundreds dead
- The US evacuated 79,000 people, including 6,000 American citizens, from Kabul since Saturday, August 14
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Kabul - United States of America authorities on Monday, August 30 announced that all its troops have departed Afghanistan.
Fox news reports that the final C-117 carrying service members lifted off from the Kabul airport at 3:29 pm U.S. Eastern Time.
Source: Getty Images
The White House said in a 24-hour span from Sunday morning, August 29 to Monday, the U.S. evacuated 1,200 people from Kabul, with 26 military flights and two coalition flights carrying evacuees out of the Afghanistan capital.
The last flight from Kabul departs
The final U.S. withdrawal came hours before the Tuesday, August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden.
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The exit under the persistent threat of terrorist attacks had claimed the lives of 13 American service members and more than 200 Afghans.
The Wall Street Journal reports that despite assurances by Biden and other top administration officials, Americans, and Afghan allies were left behind, though the State Department couldn’t provide precise figures.
Sky News reports that celebratory gunfire has been heard around Kabul once the final aircraft took off.
Recall that a drone strike by the United States of America on Sunday, August 29 targeted a vehicle in Kabul loaded with explosives.
U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban said in a statement that the airstrike eliminated an imminent ISIS-K threat.
Officials said the strike targeted suspected militants from ISIS-K through an unmanned aircraft piloted from outside Afghanistan.
Afghanistan–Pakistan border barrier
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been advised to allow more Afghan refugees into its domain.
A US senior State Department official gave this admonition while briefing journalists on the new US refugee admission programme for fleeing Afghans.
The US official said in a situation like the current happenings, it is important that Pakistan let its border remain open to more refugees.
Source: Legit.ng
