Taliban considers US troop withdrawal day a national holiday

The Taliban government declared August 31, the day the US ends its presence in Afghanistan, to be a national holiday.

The decision was approved and announced by the Council of Ministers of the Taliban interim government on June 17, which stipulates that August 31 will be a national holiday to commemorate the time when the US and its allies completely withdraw from Afghanistan.

The US sent troops into Afghanistan in October 2001 to overthrow the Taliban, starting the longest and most expensive war in history, with nearly $2.3 trillion poured into the country.

US soldiers stand guard at Kabul airport on August 20, 2021, as people queue to board a C-17 transport plane in the distance. Photo: AFP

The Trump administration made the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, but it was only implemented under President Joe Biden.

The Taliban launched a lightning military campaign in mid-2021, capturing most of Afghanistan before approaching the capital Kabul, forcing the US and its allies to hastily withdraw troops from the country. On August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul without encountering any resistance, completing control of Afghanistan's territory.

The chaos during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan then captured attention around the world , with images of crowds storming parked planes, climbing onto their roofs and some clinging to US military transport planes taxiing down the runway.

US Ambassador Ross Wilson and the last US troops left Afghanistan on a C-17 transport plane at 11:59 a.m. on August 30, 2021, marking the end of nearly 20 years of presence of Washington and its allies in the Central Asian country.

Some 2,500 US soldiers died in the war, but 20 years later, Afghanistan is no longer a top priority for Americans. According to a Gallup poll conducted a year after the withdrawal, 50% of respondents said the entire war was a mistake.

Vu Anh (According to Anadolu Agency )

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