The Soldiers Are Gone, Their Rest Is Not: Leaving the U.S. Army...

Officially, the last US troops left Afghanistan. It became a quick overnight departure after 20 years of American presence. After that, the Taliban flocked to the airport to marvel at all the materials the army had left.

Armed and with a serious look, Major General Chris Donahue is the last American to jump on the transport plane toward the United States. Shortly before that, he spoke to the Taliban commander to let them know when they would officially leave, according to US media. After that conversation, Donahoe rushed back to the Kabul runway to finally board a Boeing C-17. Less than ten minutes later, the last five American transport planes took off in the dark.

The moment Donahue steps in was captured with night vision goggles and the US Department of Defense quickly sent the photo out to the world. Hopefully, the statue will become a symbol of the United States’ exit from Afghanistan. But soon other images emerged from Kabul indicating the end of twenty years of American presence. Taliban fighters stand in abandoned helicopters or next to a dumped jeep. Soon, pictures of a hangar full of flak jackets spread around the world.

Photo: AFP

And the US military sent a response stating that the Taliban could do nothing with the materials. “They can check everything, but they can’t fly,” John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told CNN. All equipment at the airport has become useless. All that works are a few fire trucks and forklifts.”

This applies to equipment at the airport, but in reality, the whole of Afghanistan is still filled with billions of army equipment. According to Fox News, 33 helicopters, 169,000 armored trucks, 22,174 armored jeeps, and 358,530 weapons are involved. It is currently unclear what the Taliban can still use.