RPT: REVIEW - 'Every Single' US Troop Exits Afghanistan, Ending America's Longest War

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2021) For the first time in two decades there are zero US troops on the ground in Afghanistan after Washington executed a successful final extraction - one day ahead of a looming deadline - leaving the country's fate in the hands of the Taliban movement (banned in Russia as a terrorist group).

On Monday, US CENTCOM chief Kenneth McKenzie announced that all remaining US service members have been removed from Afghanistan ahead of the August 31 deadline. The last US C-17 military aircraft left Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. EST with Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson aboard, which put an end to a botched evacuation which has become a political disaster for President Joe Biden.

The move puts to an end to America's longest war, which began on October 7, 2001, initially in search of the al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) and its leader Osama Bin Laden.

However, after toppling the Taliban the original occupation morphed into a counterinsurgency effort while Washington backed what many perceived as a corrupt government in Kabul, which guaranteed an insurgent comeback.

In the end, the very same Taliban movement the United States ousted in 2001 is now back in power after a lightning-seizure of Kabul earlier in August.

US and coalition forces evacuated more than 123,000 civilians from Afghanistan before the final departure, while American military leaders acknowledged the final evacuation would not be possible without assistance from the Taliban, who established a firm perimeter around the Kabul airport on Monday that prevented terrorists from taking advantage of the situation.

"Every single US service member is now out of Afghanistan. I can say it with 100 percent certainty," McKenzie said during a press briefing on Monday. "The military phase of this operation has ended, diplomatic sequel to that will now begin."

However, the CENTCOM chief also warned that that some 2,000 "hardcore" IS fighters are in Afghanistan right now, and the terror threat remains high. He also said that although all evacuees have left, less than 200 Americans still remain in Afghanistan.

After the exit, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a notice warning that Kabul airport is no longer controlled and aircraft should use extreme caution when landing there.

In addition to pulling all forces, the US closed its diplomatic presence in Kabul and transferred operations to Doha, including consular affairs and administration of aid, which would be delivered under certain conditions.

"The United States will continue to support humanitarian aid to the Afghan people... [but] consistent with our sanctions on the Taliban, the aid will not flow through the government, but rather through independent organizations, such as UN agencies and NGOs," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a speech after announcing the diplomatic move to Doha.

Biden said he will address the American people on Tuesday about the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. He also said he asked Blinken to coordinate with international partners to ensure safe passage for any Americans, Afghan partners, and foreign nationals who want to leave.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that says it expects the Taliban to allow Afghans and foreigners to safely leave the country, with abstentions by China and Russia.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said Afghans may now choose the path for their country in full sovereignty following the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

"With the departure of our military and those of the many partners who stood with us, Afghans face a moment of decision and opportunity," Khalilzad said via Twitter on Monday. "Their country's future is in their hands. They will choose their path in full sovereignty. This is the chance to bring their war to an end as well."

However, the Taliban would make clear that the country of Afghanistan was now in their hands.

"The last foreign serviceman has left the territory of Afghanistan. Now the entire territory of the country is under the control of the Taliban. Now our state has become free and independent," Mohammad Naim, a spokesman for the movement's political office, told Sputnik.

The Taliban also called on the international community to provide support to the Afghan people in the economy, education and health care, a spokesman for the movement told Al Jazeera television.

CHAOS & DEATH: BIDEN'S POLITICAL NIGHTMARE

The Biden administration was blindsided by the Taliban's lightning seizure of Kabul on August 15, despite having intelligence and plenty of warnings that a collapse was imminent. Shortly before Kabul fell, several Biden administration officials repeatedly claimed that the 300,000-strong Afghan Army would defend the capital and the government.

Instead, the Taliban took Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and the remnants of the Northern Alliance have taken up in the Panjshir Valley where the civil war is still ongoing.

The botched evacuation left thousands of Afghans and Americans at the Kabul airport as sitting ducks for an attack by the IS-Khorasan terror group (banned in Russia) which left some 90 dead including thirteen US troops.

Trump exploited the situation of course, and has a solid argument to do so considering if the Pentagon had listened to him, all American troops possibly could have been home by Christmas.

On Monday, Trump criticized the Biden administration's handling of the exit saying that never in history has a withdrawal been handled so poorly. He also slammed Biden for letting the Taliban get their hands on so much US equipment and weaponry.

Adding insult to injury, later in the day, nearly 90 former US military officers in an open letter called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley to resign over the "disastrous" withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In hindsight, one could reasonably argue the entire catastrophe could have potentially been avoided if Biden had followed the withdrawal plan left by his predecessor, which was the result of a deal US and Taliban negotiators struck and signed in February of 2020. The Doha agreement called for a full American force extraction by May 1 in exchange for counterterrorism assurances.

However, the Biden administration put the Trump plan "on hold" and conducted an internal review, which forced Washington to delay the exit by four months.

Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern, who personally briefed four US presidents during his career, wondered why the Biden team never issued a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on how to exit Afghanistan and the likely consequences of such a move.

"Were the CIA and the other intelligence agencies elbowed out because it was recognized their analysts might pose awkward questions that could not easily or conveniently be answered?" McGovern told Sputnik.

After losing more than 2,400 troops and spending some $2.26 trillion, the United States has little to show for its involvement in Afghanistan - which surpassed the length of the Vietnam War by nearly six months.

Washington also spent $140 billion on rebuilding, up to 30 percent of which was potentially wasted, according to a US reconstruction inspector general.

World Beyond War Executive Director David Swanson summed up what the Americans left behind.

"They leave 2 to 5 million dead, millions injured, millions traumatized, millions homeless, the rule of law eroded, the natural environment devastated, government secrecy and surveillance and authoritarianism increased worldwide," Swanson told Sputnik.

Terrorism and weapons sales increased across the globe, Swanson added, while racism and bigotry spread and trillions of Dollars were wasted.

He also said the war in Afghanistan corroded a culture, generated a drug epidemic, while "wealth transferred upward to a handful of profiteers."