President Biden Declares End Of US Presence In Afghanistan; Many Terrified (Video)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed the end of America’s two decades of military presence in Afghanistan, long after Islamist Taliban fighters with U.S.-supplied camouflage uniforms and M4 rifles already celebrated their victory.
“Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended,” Biden said, speaking slowly into a teleprompter. “The past 17 days have seen our troops execute the largest airlift in U.S. history, evacuating over 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our allies, and Afghan allies of the United States.”
Ending the mission as planned was “the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and all of our commanders on the ground,” he stressed.
Back at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, where 13 American troops died, and 20 were injured in a suicide attack, the ruling Taliban began inspecting Black Hawk helicopters.
Supplied at great expense to U.S. taxpayers, they were once instrumental in defending outposts from the Taliban.
Reporters said they were left full of gaping holes or had their noses exposed and their innards ripped out. A-29 Super Tucano turboprop attack aircraft sat among piles of surplus uniforms and backpacks, footage showed. Some of the planes reportedly had had their wings cracked at the joint or control surfaces sabotaged to render them useless.
“Americans have destroyed the airplanes. They destroyed everything,” noted one Taliban member who gave his name as Ahmad. “It will take a long time to fix — a lot of time and investment.”
“All of our politicians supported the invaders,” another Taliban member, Abdul Hadi, told The Los Angeles Times paper. He gestured toward his comrades. “These are the real heroes. And we believe they’ll make Afghanistan better.”
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media, “The world should have learned their lesson, and this is the enjoyable moment of victory.”
Taliban fighters even held a mock funeral involving caskets draped in the American, British, NATO, and French flags in the town of Khost near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Footage obtained by Worthy News showed large crowds attending the ceremony.
As at least hundreds of terrified Americans and thousands of others who weren’t evacuated pondered their future, the ruling Taliban celebrated by firing guns into the air across Kabul. They already announced imposing a strict implementation of Islam, or Sharia law, potentially impacting thousands of Christians and others deemed enemies of Islam.
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid declared, “At 12 o’clock tonight, the last American troops left Kabul airport, on which account Afghanistan was completely liberated and independent.”
That wasn’t true at Panjshir valley north of Kabul, the capital, after Taliban forces clashed with militia fighters on Monday night. Eight Taliban members were killed, the leading anti-Taliban opposition group said.
In the strategic area, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh declared himself the country’s new leader in August, backed by a resistance movement after President Ashraf Ghani fled.
“I won’t disappoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with the Taliban. Never,” Saleh said.
Pictures emerged of Saleh with the son of his former mentor and late anti-Taliban fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud in Panjshir, whose forces support his struggle.
Saleh has pleaded for military support from the United States to defeat the Taliban and take Islamist State group militants linked to attacks against U.S. forces.
While the international community appeared to have accepted the reality of Taliban rule, Britain and United States made clear they were willing to strike Islamic State, also known as Daesh.
Critics say, however, that without troops and enough intelligence in the area, that may be easier said than done. And there were some tensions between Britain and the U.S. as the two NATO alliance allies quarreled over the circumstances surrounding the suicide attacks at Kabul airport this week.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab rejected U.S. claims that Britain was indirectly responsible for the bloodshed because it insisted that the airport’s Abbey gate be kept open to allow British nationals to enter the airport.
He said the “story was simply untrue,” adding nothing Britain did require that gate to be kept open.
In Washington, President Biden urged Americans to join him in “grateful prayer” for the troops, diplomats, and others involved in evacuations and those welcoming allies into their homes.
He said he wanted to “end with a moment of gratitude for the sacrifice of the 13 service members in Afghanistan who gave their lives last week to save tens of thousands.”
The victims were named as Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.
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