This ended the military mission to evacuate US citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans. US President Joe Biden, who gave a speech on Tuesday, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised that they would continue to do everything in their power to get Americans and other refugees out of the country.
This should now happen with diplomatic instead of military means, it said. The last US military aircraft took off one minute before midnight (local time) from the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul. All US troops have left the country, announced General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads the US Central Command Centcom, in the Pentagon. Biden had set this Tuesday as the deadline for the withdrawal of US troops. The US president initially only commented on the historic moment in a written statement and announced a speech to the nation for Tuesday (7.30 p.m. CEST). He again defended his controversial decision to withdraw all US soldiers from the country and referred, among other things, to the safety of American troops.
McKenzie emphasized that there was not a single US soldier left in Afghanistan. He admitted, however, that it had not been possible to fly out all the people who had been brought to safety. “We didn’t get everyone out that we wanted to get out.” You had the opportunity to evacuate more US citizens until the last moment. But some wouldn’t have made it to the airport.
Blinken said his ministry estimates that there are still between 100 and 200 Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave the country. Biden had promised all US citizens willing to leave Afghanistan to get them out of Afghanistan. Blinken affirmed, “We want to continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreigners and Afghans, if they choose to leave Afghanistan.” Biden also agreed.
After the Taliban came to power in mid-August, the US and its international partners began to evacuate their citizens, as well as Afghan aid workers and other vulnerable people who fear for their lives under Taliban rule. McKenzie said that since the military evacuation mission began a good two weeks ago, the US military alone has flown more than 79,000 civilians from Kabul, including around 6,000 Americans. The United States and its allies have taken more than 123,000 people out of the country. Biden spoke of the “largest airlift in US history”.
Germany had already ended its rescue operation on Thursday, France, Spain and Great Britain followed on Friday and Saturday. But there are still tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan who want to flee the Taliban – most of them are Afghans.
The USA and the Western partners have repeatedly emphasized that there should be the possibility of bringing people to safety even after the end of the military mission. How exactly this is supposed to happen is unclear. The UN Security Council increased the pressure on the Taliban on Monday to uphold human rights and allow those wishing to leave the country to pass unhindered. The most powerful UN body passed a resolution on Monday in a rare unanimity. The decision was made with 13 votes in favor, Russia and China abstained. UN resolutions are binding under international law.
Blinken emphasized: “The military mission has ended. A new diplomatic mission has started.” However, it will be possible to control it remotely. Because with the withdrawal of US troops, the Americans also gave up their diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. The diplomatic activities have been relocated to the Qatari capital Doha, said Blinken. From there they want to regulate consular affairs, but also manage humanitarian aid and organize cooperation with the allies.
Regarding the militant Islamist Taliban who have taken power in Afghanistan, Blinken said a government under their leadership must earn international legitimacy and support. To do this, they would have to keep their promises of freedom of travel, respect fundamental rights and form an inclusive government. They are also not allowed to give refuge to terrorists or take revenge against their opponents.
The Taliban reacted with jubilation to the Americans’ withdrawal. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter that the country has now achieved complete independence. High-ranking Taliban member Anas Haqqani tweeted: “We are making history again. The 20-year US and NATO occupation of Afghanistan ended tonight. God is great.”
In April Biden announced that all US soldiers would be unconditionally withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 at the latest. This date marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks that sparked the US-led military operation in Afghanistan. After Biden’s announcement, NATO also announced that it would end its international mission. In July, Biden finally moved the full withdrawal date to August 31.
In the past few weeks, events in Afghanistan had rolled over: After Biden’s announcement, the Taliban’s triumphant advance was rapidly gaining momentum. The militant Islamists took over one provincial capital after another – the Afghan security forces often offered little or no resistance. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and the Taliban invaded Kabul without a fight. The US embassy was closed and the diplomats fled to the airport.
It was from there that the Americans and their allies completed their breathless evacuation mission. The airport in Kabul remained under the control of US troops even after the Taliban came to power. The US temporarily flew in 5,000 additional soldiers to secure the evacuations. US commanders coordinated with the Taliban. Dozens of Afghans and 13 US soldiers were killed in an attack by the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) last Thursday in front of the airport. ISIS and the Taliban are enemies with one another. The IS attacked Kabul airport again on Monday. According to the US government, five rockets were fired in the direction of the airport. The offshoot of IS, which is active in Afghanistan, claimed the missile attack for itself.
