Tag: taliban

Last of US troops exit Afghanistan as Taliban celebrates with gunfire at Kabul airport

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Celebratory gunfire in Kabul by Taliban coincided with exit of last of US troops from Afghanistan, putting an end to twenty year long war in Afghanistan. On Monday night the last US military aircraft took off from Kabul airport. Two weeks earlier the Taliban insurgent group had seized control of the capital city of Kabul, toppling the internationally recognized Afghani government and President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country. The swift rise of Taliban to power took everyone by surprise, including Taliban leadership and US, that had clearly mis-anticipated the timeline before setting troops withdrawal deadline in a hasty fashion.

US announced its complete exit just before midnight, local time, but sans any official handover. Taliban spokesperson Qari Yusuf said in statement, “The last US soldier has left Kabul airport and our country gained complete independence.”

The new rulers of Afghanistan hailed their return to power after 20 years after the first Taliban regime was ousted by US invasion in 2001. The Kabul sky was lit with gunfire by rejoicing Taliban fighters.

“The last five aircraft have left, it’s over!” said Hemad Sherzad, a Taliban fighter stationed at Kabul’s international airport. “I cannot express my happiness in words … Our 20 years of sacrifice worked.”

As soon as the last US military airplane took off in air, Taliban wasted no time in moving in and seizing control of the Kabul airport that was under US and foreign forces control while they attempted hurried evacuation of their citizens and Afghan citizens before August 31 deadline.

Videos show Taliban fighters entering the hangar and examining US military helicopters left behind along with the equipment. US has said it had disabled 73 aircrafts and 27 Humvees before leaving them behind. C-RAMS (Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System) were also made inoperable. Few equipment including two firetrucks, front end loaders and aircraft staircases were left behind by US military for Taliban to run the airport.

Mohammad Islam, a Taliban guard at the airport said, “After 20 years we have defeated the Americans. They have left and now our country is free.” He added, “t’s clear what we want. We want Shariah (Islamic law), peace and stability.”

US Reduces Forces in Afghanistan to 8,600

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The United States had reduced its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600, Marine General Frank McKenzie reported on June 18. The significant draw-down of military forces comes as part of a US-Taliban agreement signed in February that intends to reduce US involvement in the country. The deal requires a full withdrawal of US military forces by May 2021 as the Afghan government negotiates its own agreement with the Taliban.

Barriers to peace

“The war has no winner. All of us are losers in a war. The winner of peace will be the people of Afghanistan and our neighbors,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told the Atlantic Council on June 11 as the conflict Afghanistan enters a new phase. But questions remain over the potential success of negotiations between Taliban and the government, which is losing power because of the US withdrawal and cuts of roughly $1 billion in US support.

“Devastated and ravaged by war, Afghanistan has continually suffered due to weak political dispensations and inadequate state resources, mainly due to infighting among the rulers of Afghanistan,” Ghani told the Atlantic Council.

Conditions

While the US has now met its conditions of the agreement, the Afghan government’s reluctance to release the “most dangerous” Taliban prisoners has received support from the government’s western partners, potentially endangering future peace talks. “There are some dangerous Taliban fighters named in the list, and releasing them is literally crossing a red line,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters.

Large-scale prisoner releases were part of the US-Taliban agreement, but many fear they endanger the balance of power between the government and the Taliban. While many prisoners have already been released, those involved in organizing suicide attacks on civilians remain in Afghani prisons.

Disagreement

“The United States continues to be encouraged by the great progress on prisoners release by both sides. We support additional releases by both sides to get the issue off the table,” a spokesman of the US military said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid agreed as the Taliban continues to insist all 5,000 prisoners are released before peace talks can commence.

The Taliban says their list of 5,000 prisoners to be released as part of the agreement include no high-profile fighters involved in attacks, disputing government and NATO claims. “There are no such people, these are just excuses to create barriers against the peace process,” Mujahid told Reuters.

The US appears confident that the Taliban will no longer pose the threat to the US that led to the 2001 invasion of the country. “Conditions would have to be met that satisfy us — that attacks against our homeland are not going to be generated from Afghanistan,” General McKenzie stressed.

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