Afghanistan withdrawal: last US soldier leaves Kabul - "Diplomatic mission has begun"

The last US soldiers left Afghanistan on Monday.

The US's 20-year military mission is over, now a diplomatic one is imminent.

• On Monday, the last US soldier left the airport in Kabul and thus Afghanistan *.

• After the US military mission of 20 years, Foreign Minister Blinken announced the start of a “new diplomatic mission”.

• This news ticker is updated regularly.

Kabul - The withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan ended in debacle.

The past few weeks have been characterized by chaos after the Taliban came to power.

Time and again, dramatic scenes played out at Kabul airport: Thousands of people tried to get out of the country with one of the rescue planes.

There have been multiple attacks and explosions in the Afghan capital.

The US ended its military operation late on Monday evening (local time).

Troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: last US soldier leaves Kabul airport

At one minute before midnight Kabul time on Monday (August 30), the last US military aircraft of the type C-17 took off from the airport in the Afghan capital.

The Americans had previously remained silent about exactly how the security-technically delicate withdrawal of their very last soldiers would take place.

The security situation was precarious until the very end: shortly before the withdrawal, the Afghan offshoot of the terrorist militia IS fired rockets at Kabul airport.

Only after the last machine of the US military had left Afghan airspace did the Pentagon publish a picture of the “last American soldier” leaving Afghanistan.

The photo, taken with a night vision device, shows Major General Chris Donahue boarding the last US military aircraft.

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Major General Chris Donahue was the last US soldier to leave Kabul airport and thus Afghanistan.

© US Central Command via AP / dpa

US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: "Didn't get everyone out we wanted to get out"

In Washington, surprisingly, it was not President Joe Biden * who announced the end of the Afghanistan mission, but General Kenneth McKenzie.

In a short video link with journalists at the Pentagon, he said on Monday afternoon (local time): “I am here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan.” This marks the end of the loss-making military operation by the USA and its allies in Afghanistan after almost 20 years.

McKenzie emphasized that there was now not a single US soldier in Afghanistan.

But he admitted 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.” Until the last moment, you had the opportunity to evacuate other US citizens.

But some wouldn't have made it to the airport.

According to estimates by the US State Department, there are still between 100 and 200 Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave the country.

US withdrawal from Afghanistan: Biden makes promises to all those wishing to leave the country

Biden initially only commented in a written statement in which he again defended his controversial decision to withdraw.

It was only this Tuesday (August 31) that the president announced an address to the nation.

He had promised all US citizens wishing to leave Afghanistan that he would get them out of Afghanistan.

After the withdrawal of troops, Biden and his Foreign Minister Antony Blinken assured that the US government would continue to do everything in its power to get backward Americans, as well as other foreigners and vulnerable Afghans *, out of the country - now with diplomatic rather than military means.

After the US troops have withdrawn: "Diplomatic mission has begun" - the Taliban cheer

“The military mission is over. A new diplomatic mission has begun, ”said Blinken. 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. On board the last military machine was Ross Wilson, the previous US ambassador to Afghanistan. Blinken said the US has now relocated its diplomatic activities to Qatar's capital, Doha.

The Taliban responded with jubilation at the American withdrawal.

Taliban spokesman Sabiullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter that the country has now achieved complete independence.

High-ranking Taliban member Anas Hakkani tweeted: “We're making history again.

The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the US and NATO ended this evening.

God is great. ”During a speech at the airport in Kabul on Tuesday (August 31), Mujaid said:“ We want to have good relations with the USA and the whole world.

We welcome good diplomatic relations with everyone. ”

(Ph / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubric lists: © US Central Command via AP / dpa