THE LAST FLIGHT
■ US FINALLY PULLS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN AFTER 20-YEAR CAMPAIGN ■ REMAINING TROOPS LEAVE JUST A MINUTE BEFORE MIDNIGHT IN KABUL
THE US last night completed its pull-out from Afghanistan after 20 years of conflict – leaving behind thousands of desperate Afghans who hoped to flee the Taliban. Gen Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, made the announcement at a Pentagon news briefing – confirming the last flight had left Kabul a minute before midnight and no more evacuation flights would go ahead despite the deadline not coming until 8.30pm tonight.
Gunfire was heard across Kabul – with reports suggesting the shots were in celebration of the Western occupation ending, two decades after an invasion prompted by the ruling Taliban sheltering al-Qaeda plotters behind the 9/11 terror attacks.
Gen Mackenzie said the last US citizens flew out 12 hours earlier – with no Americans on the final five planes leaving Kabul.
But he admitted that some Americans who
had wanted to leave the country were still there.
The final flights came against a backdrop of missile strikes on the airport launched by terrorist group Isis-K.
US anti-missile defences intercepted Isis-K rockets yesterday as 28 flights carrying 1,200 mainly Afghan evacuees left.
Troops were destroying sensitive military equipment to avoid it falling into the hands of the Taliban or the rival extremist group.
Ten family members, including seven children aged between two and 12, were reportedly killed by a US drone strike aimed at a would-be suicide bomber in Kabul on Sunday.
Ramin Yousufi, a relative of the victims, told the BBC: ‘It’s wrong. It is a brutal attack and it’s happened on wrong information. Why have they killed our family? Our children?’
The US has flown out 122,000 people since the Taliban returned to power earlier this month. The UK managed to get 15,000 people out.
US president Joe Biden last week rejected pleas to extend its presence in Afghanistan beyond the deadline, while the Taliban has insisted evacuation operations must end today.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: ‘The president has made it very clear that we will maintain robust overthe-horizon counter-terrorism capabilities – the kind you have seen us use over the last 24 to 36 hours.’
He and Maj Gen William ‘Hank’ Taylor did not deny civilians were killed in Sunday’s drone strike targeting what the US said was an insurgent planning a suicide bombing at Kabul airport.
It followed Thursday’s Isis-K suicide bombing outside the complex that killed almost 200 civilians and 13 US troops.
Mr Kirby said: ‘We are not in a position to dispute it. We’re assessing and we’re investigating.’