Last Plane Carrying Americans Departs Afghanistan as Pres. Joe Biden Breaks Promise to Stay Until Every American Evacuated

The last plane carrying Americans departed from Afghanistan on Monday, August 30, ending the longest war in U.S. history.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, announced the completion of the U.S. withdrawal through a virtual briefing. McKenzie told reporters that the last U.S. plane, a "C-17," carrying "every single U.S. service member," left Afghanistan at around 3:29 p.m. (ET).

The departure of the last plane and removal of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan met the August 31 deadline agreed by the United States and Taliban.

In a statement on Monday, President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to the service members who helped in evacuating Americans and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. The president noted that the service members served with "unmatched courage, professionalism, and resolve."

Joe Biden said he would address the nation on Tuesday about his decision to not extend U.S. presence in Afghanistan past August 31. But he noted that "it was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground" to end the airlift mission as planned.

Joe Biden said ending the mission was the best way to protect the lives of the U.S. troops and secure the civilian departures for those who want to leave the country in the weeks ahead.

In an August 18 interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Joe Biden said the U.S. military objective was to get "everyone" out, including Americans and Afghan allies and their families in Afghanistan. He noted that "if there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out."

Some Americans Remain in Afghanistan as U.S. Withdrawal Comes to a Close

Although the last plane that departed Afghanistan marked the end of the U.S. withdrawal, some Americans remain in the South Asian country.

"We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out," said McKenzie, adding that there's a lot of heartbreak associated with the departure.

Although McKenzie did not provide details of how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, a senior State Department official said the number of Americans left in the country was under "250," adding that some Americans departed the South Asian country in recent years hours.

McKenzie underscored that if the U.S. troops extended their stay for another 10 days in the country, they will still not be able to evacuate all Americans.

"There still would have been people who would have been disappointed. It's a tough situation," he said.

Although there were Americans left in Afghanistan, McKenzie assured that the U.S. will still evacuate them, as well as eligible Afghans, beyond the August 31 deadline. However, he noted that the administration would shift to a diplomatic operation headed by the State Department.

McKenzie also emphasized that the U.S. also left equipment used to shoot down rockets, armored Humvees, and some aircraft. However, the general noted that the said equipment was disabled and essentially rendered inoperable.

Taliban Celebrates as Last Plane Carrying Americans Leave Afghanistan

Meanwhile, the Taliban celebrated the departure of the U.S. in Afghanistan. They fire their guns in the air to commemorate their victory against the U.S.

"American soldiers left the Kabul airport and our nation got its full independence," Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said early Tuesday.

As the Americans withdraw from the South Asian country, the Taliban now has full control over Afghanistan except for the mountainous Panjshir province, where a few thousand local fighters and remnants of Afghanistan's security forces act as a resistance.

Although feared by most locals, The Taliban promised that they would allow women to attend school and work and rejected attacks on Afghans who worked for the former government, the U.S., or its allies.

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Written By: Joshua Summers

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