Military

Wheels Up: The United States Officially Leaves Afghanistan

August 31, 2021Dustin Jones
hazara civilian attack

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, takes off on the runway April 27, 2021, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kylee Gardner, courtesy of DVIDS.

On the 7,293rd day since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, US Central Command Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. announced the end of the Afghanistan war minutes after the last US aircraft — call sign “Moose88” — took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.


“I’m here to announce our completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans,” McKenzie said. “Tonight’s withdrawal signifies both the end of the military component of the evacuation but also the end of the nearly 20-year mission that began in Afghanistan shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.”




The United States has evacuated more than 79,000 civilians, including 6,000 Americans, from Kabul since efforts began Aug. 14. The last plane took off from Kabul Monday, Aug. 30, at 3:29 p.m. EST. According to the Pentagon, a total of 2,327 American lives were lost on the ground in Afghanistan, including the 13 US service members who were killed by a suicide bomber Thursday.


Flight trackers followed the final flight online.




Videos showed tracer rounds, presumably fired by Taliban fighters, lighting up the night sky in celebration.




Following the departure of the last American troops, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen celebrated the occasion.


“The last American soldier left Afghanistan,” he announced. “Our country gained full independence. Praise be to Allah. Heart-felt congratulations to all countrymen!”




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Dustin Jones
Dustin Jones

Dustin Jones is a former senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine covering military and intelligence news. Jones served four years in the Marine Corps with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. He studied journalism at the University of Colorado and Columbia University. He has worked as a reporter in Southwest Montana and at NPR. A New Hampshire native, Dustin currently resides in Southern California.

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