The Pentagon announced on Monday that the US has completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, said the last plane took off from Kabul at 3:29 pm Eastern Standard Time, which was just one minute before midnight in Kabul.
“I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans,” McKenzie told reporters. “Every single US service member is now out of Afghanistan,” he added.
The completion of the withdrawal comes after a hectic airlift operation in which over 100,000 people were evacuated, including about 6,000 Americans. McKenzie said the US “did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out” and said there are still Americans in Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered remarks on the withdrawal and the number of Americans left in the country. “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,” he said. Blinken added that most Americans left are “dual citizen Americans with deep roots and extended families in Afghanistan who resided there for many years.”
While the US evacuated a lot of people, the airlift was not without incident. A massive suicide attack claimed by the local ISIS affiliate outside the airport gates killed over 170 people last week, including 13 US troops and 28 Taliban members.
The US has since launched airstrikes against targets it claims were ISIS-K, but witnesses said a US drone strike in Kabul on Sunday killed 10 civilians, including seven children. The US launched a separate strike on Friday that it claimed killed two “ISIS-K planners,” but the Pentagon has refused to disclose their names.
The US has been launching airstrikes from outside of Afghanistan, what the Pentagon is calling “over the horizon” capability, so it’s possible the bombings could continue. Blinken said the US will “maintain robust capabilities” in the region to “neutralize threats” from groups like ISIS-K.
A massive suicide attack claimed by the local ISIS affiliate outside the airport gates killed over 170 people
It has been reported elsewhere that many of those killed were not killed by the bomb, but instead were shot by the United States military.
Wonderful news for both the Afghan and American people.
However, the United States has not ceded Afghan airspace, and drones at will.
The Taliban need to secure Afghan airspace next to truly complete their victory.
None of the toys the U.S. left behind will help with that. Not that the Taliban could use advanced anti-aircraft systems anyway.
The Taliban and CIA are communicating; also not the best of signs. Both sides need a clean break and decoupling for a while.
A.M.F.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/war-afghanistan-what-happens-when-mckinsey-types-run-everything
Afghanistan: What Happens When McKinsey Types Run Everything.
It seems much of the aircraft and other hardware left behind was either physically disabled or the software removed.
“The US launched a separate strike on Friday that it claimed killed two “ISIS-K planners,” but the Pentagon has refused to disclose their names.”____ Another false or fake intelligence leading to killing innocent civilians…!
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/08/the-us-has-a-plan-for-whats-next-in-afghanistan-it-does-not-include-peace.html#more
The US’ interests in Afghanistan don’t include peace.