NewDelhi: The United States of America (USA) on Tuesday withdrew all of its troops from Afghanistan ending its 20-year-old military presence in the war-torn country, US President Joe Biden announced. “Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended,” he said, thanking armed forces for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled — in the early hours of Tuesday (August 31) – with no further loss of American lives.
Biden said he will address the nation on Tuesday. “For now, I will report that it was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground to end our airlift mission as planned. Their view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops, and secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead.”
The president said he has asked the Secretary of State to lead the continued coordination with US international partners to ensure safe passage for many Americans, Afghan partners and foreign nationals who want to leave Afghanistan.
This will include work to build on the UN Security Council Resolution that sent the clear message of what the international community expects the Taliban to deliver on moving forward, notably freedom of travel, he added.
“The Taliban has made commitments on safe passage and the world will hold them to their commitments. It will include ongoing diplomacy in Afghanistan and coordination with partners in the region to reopen the airport allowing for continued departure for those who want to leave and delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan,” Biden said.
Blinken says America has begun a new diplomatic mission in Afghanistan:
The United States has begun a new diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken said the US has shut down its diplomatic mission in Kabul and moved the embassy to Doha in Qatar.
“Now, US military flights have ended, and our troops have departed Afghanistan. A new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan has begun. It’s one in which we will lead with our diplomacy. The military mission is over. A new diplomatic mission has begun,” Blinken said in his address to the nation.
More than 1,23,000 people have been safely flown out of Afghanistan, including about 6,000 American citizens, he said. This has been a massive military, diplomatic, and humanitarian undertaking — one of the most difficult in the US history — and an extraordinary feat of logistics and coordination under some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable, Blinken added.
Bureau Report
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