CNN reported that General Frank McKenzie - Commander of the US Central Command - announced on August 30 at the Pentagon that the last US military aircraft had left Afghanistan, officially ending Washington's longest war.
General McKenzie told reporters: I came here to announce that we have completed the withdrawal from Afghanistan and completed the military mission of evacuating US citizens, third countries and vulnerable Afghanistan people. The last C-17 took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport at:30 p.m. on August 30 East Coast time and the last manned aircraft was flying out of Afghanistan.
Also on August 30, President Joe Biden issued a statement thanking the last US forces serving in Afghanistan for carrying out a "dangerous withdrawal from Afghanistan as scheduled" to prevent further damage to the Americans.
"The past 17 days have seen our military conduct the largest air campaign in US history, evacuating more than 120,000 US citizens, citizens of US allies and US Afghanistan allies. They did it with unprecedented courage, professionalism and determination. Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan is over," said Joe Biden, adding that there will be a national speech on Afghanistan on August 31.
As of August 30, a total of more than 122,000 people have been transported by plane from Hamid Karzai International Airport since July, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Since August 14, the Pentagon has deployed the US Special Forces to alert 1,064 US citizens and 2,017 Afghanistanese or those applying for special immigration visas to the risk zone.
General McKenzie said that no US citizens on the last 5 flights left Kabul and no people were evacuated at the airport as the last two US officials - General Christopher Donohue and the person in charge of the Ross Wilson Embassy - left Afghanistan and boarded the last US plane leaving Afghanistan.
According to a senior US State Department official, no US diplomats are staying in Afghanistan, so the US Embassy in Kabul has temporarily suspended operations, but "th That does not mean that we stop any commitments to US citizens in Afghanistan and Afghanistan people".
