The Pentagon confirms that the US military has now left Kabul. Thus, the 20-year war is over.
AFP’s correspondent in Kabul reports that the sound of people firing in the air in celebration is heard from several checkpoints around Kabul.
The United States alone has evacuated more than 120,000 people from Kabul since the operation began just before the Taliban captured the Afghan capital on August 14.
A deadline had been set for Tuesday to complete the evacuation.
Kabul airport photographed on Monday.
Foto: Wali Sabawaoon / AP
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According to several reports from journalists who have covered the conflict, a group of five or six American planes left the airport when Monday became Tuesday.
This is confirmed by Taliban guard Hemad Sherzad outside the airport, who was the first to state that the last five planes had taken off around midnight on Tuesday night.
Announcing the end of the evacuation, General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said the last plane took off one minute before midnight.
A Taliban spokesman said the group had taken control of the airport.
According to Al Jazeera, Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf says the country has now gained “complete independence”.
Norway evacuated more than 1,000 people from Kabul, but stopped the operation after the terrorist attack at the airport on Thursday. On Monday, the soldiers who have run the Norwegian field hospital at the airport landed in Norway.
The bite must speak to the people
US President Joe Biden says he will speak to the nation on Tuesday about the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Tomorrow afternoon I will speak to the American people about my decision not to extend our presence in Afghanistan beyond 31 August,” Biden said in a statement Monday.
He praised the US forces for their work during the evacuation.
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