Following the Pentagon's announcement of the final American soldier's withdrawal from Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Monday: "Now I announce the end of 20 years of U.S. presence in Afghanistan." He added in a tweet: "The last 17 days witnessed the largest evacuation operation in American history." In this context, the American president stated in a message that the world will hold the Taliban accountable for their pledge to provide a safe passage for those wishing to leave Afghanistan. Additionally, he revealed that he has asked the Secretary of State to lead coordination with international partners to ensure safe passage for those wishing to depart Afghanistan. Biden stated in a message released just hours after the completion of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan that he will address the American people regarding the withdrawal on Tuesday afternoon, explaining the reasons for not extending the presence of U.S. forces in the country beyond August 31.
**End of a Twenty-Year War**
The Pentagon announced the exit of the last American soldier from Afghanistan on Monday night, thus closing the chapter on a 20-year war, at the end of which the Taliban took control of the country again. U.S. Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKenzie stated during a press conference, "I am here to announce that we have completed our withdrawal from Afghanistan." He added that the "last C-17 aircraft took off from Kabul airport on August 30 at 9:29 PM UTC."
**Last Departures**
He also clarified that the last Americans to leave Kabul were Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, and General Chris Donahue, the ground commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He mentioned that "on board the last plane was General Chris Donahue" and "accompanied by Ambassador Ross Wilson," noting that they were the last to board the military plane that departed from Kabul and marked the end of a 20-year war. However, General McKenzie pointed out that while military evacuations have concluded, the diplomatic mission to ascertain if there are more American citizens or eligible Afghans wishing to leave is ongoing. He explained that from August 14 to Monday night, U.S. and allied aircraft evacuated more than 123,000 civilians from Hamid Karzai International Airport.
**"Less than We Hoped"**
However, the American military leader acknowledged at the same time that the number of people they managed to evacuate from Kabul before completing the withdrawal was less than they had hoped. He said, "We were not able to evacuate everyone we wanted to evacuate," indicating that evacuations concluded about "12 hours" before the last American soldier left Afghanistan, but that U.S. forces remained "until the very last moment" at Kabul airport ready to evacuate anyone who could reach the airport. The Taliban, which rapidly took control of the country as the withdrawal approached, hastened to celebrate the departure of American forces.
