Taliban Rules Afghanistan as US Complete Pull-out A Day Earlier than Deadline

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Sounds of gunshots reverberated in the sky as Taliban repeatedly fired in the air to celebrate the departure of the last of the US troop marking the end of the 20-year old war with the militants taking full control of the Kabul Airport on Tuesday completing the total run-over of Afghanistan.

The US airlifted last of its troops deployed in Afghanistan completing the shifting a day before the August 31 deadline as the last U.S. plane left the Kabul international airport runway leaving behind a now-quiet airfield and Afghans outside it still hoping to flee the insurgents’ rule.

Vehicles raced back and forth along the Hamid Karzai International Airport’s sole runway on the northern military side of the airfield. Before dawn broke, heavily armed Taliban fighters walked through hangars on the military side, passing some of the seven CH-46 helicopters the State Department used in its evacuations before rendering them unflyable.

Taliban leaders later symbolically walked across the runway, marking their victory randomly firing gunshots as a mark of celebrations. The Taliban’s top spokesman congratulated Afghans on their victory hours after the last U.S. troops left the country. “Congratulations to Afghanistan… this victory belongs to us all,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said from the runway of Kabul airport. “We want to have good relations with the U.S. and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all,” he added.

The US completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war.

America’s 20-year-old military presence in Afghanistan has ended, President Joe Biden announced, hours after the United States withdrew all of its soldiers from the war-ravaged country.

“Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended,” he said, thanking armed forces for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled — in the early hours of Tuesday (August 31) – with no further loss of American lives.

“After 20 years we have defeated the Americans,” said Mohammad Islam, a Taliban guard at the airport from Logar province cradling a Kalashnikov rifle. “They have left and now our country is free.”

He added: “It’s clear what we want. We want Shariah (Islamic law), peace and stability.” Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, similarly praised the takeover in an online video early Tuesday. “Thank God all the occupiers have left our country completely,” he said, congratulating fighters by referring to them as mujahedeen, or holy warriors. “This victory was given to us by God. It was due to 20 years of sacrifice by the mujahedeen and its leaders. Many mujahedeen sacrificed their lives.”

The United Nations Security Council, under the current Presidency of India, on Monday adopted a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan demanding that the war-torn country not be used to or to threaten or attack any nation or shelter terrorists. The resolution while addressing India’s concern left the permanent five members divided with Russia and China abstaining from voting. The resolution was put forward by the US, the UK, France. It was adopted after 13 Council members voted in favour, while Russia and China abstained saying the draft divided the approach to the Afghan crisis.

The resolution demands that Afghan territory at no cost be used to threaten or attack any other country or to shelter or train terrorists. The resolution addresses India’s major concerns on Afghanistan “at this time,” informed sources said on Tuesday. The observation came hours after the UNSC under India’s presidency passed the Resolution that reminded Taliban to stand by its commitment to prevent international terrorism.

Russian representative at the UNSC pointed out that the author of the draft resolution, that is the U.S., has divided terrorists in Afghanistan into “ours and theirs” indicating at a changing stance of the U.S. towards the Taliban and its allied Haqqani Network which has in the past attacked both American and Indian targets in Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, representing India at the UNSC highlighted the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and said these outfits should be “called out and condemned” without referring to the Haqqani Network that is likely to come up at the Taliban Sanctions Committee for a discussion among the members for possible delisting.

It was learnt, however, that the Indian diplomatic team at the U.N. tried to build consensus and reached out to “high-level official contacts” on all sides. The draft resolution called upon the Taliban to stand by its commitment to stop any terrorist activity from originating from the territory of Afghanistan. It also “calls on all parties to allow full, safe, and unhindered access for the U.N., its specialised agencies and implementing partners, and all humanitarian actors engaged in humanitarian relief activity, including with respect to internally displaced persons, to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches all those in need.”

Sources said a high-level group consisting of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior officials are focused on ensuring evacuation of stranded Indians from Afghanistan and also airlifting of religious minority groups from Kabul.

“The group has also been monitoring the ground situation in Afghanistan and international reactions,” said a source familiar with the Indian government’s response to the evolving crisis in Afghanistan.

Media reports from inside the war-torn country said Taliban forces clashed with militia fighters in the Panjshir valley north of the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday night, losing eight killed, a representative of the main anti-Taliban opposition group said.

Since the fall of Kabul on August 15, the Panjshir has been the only province to hold out against the Taliban, although there has also been fighting in neighbouring Baghlan province between Taliban and local militia forces.

The US has embarked on a “new” chapter regarding Afghanistan and shifted its diplomatic operations to Qatar, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, as he expressed commitment to helping every American who wants to leave the war-weary nation.

“As of today, we’ve suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar,” Blinken said, adding that Congress would be notified.

America’s top diplomat, speaking just hours after the final evacuation flights left Kabul, said a small number of U.S. citizens, “under 200” but likely closer to just 100, remained in the country.

Blinken said the US expected the Taliban to live up to their commitments now that US troops have pulled out of Afghanistan, but any legitimacy or support would need to be “earned.” He said, “Our troops have departed Afghanistan, a new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan has begun. It’s one in which we will lead with our diplomacy. The military mission is over; a new diplomatic mission has begun.”

Japan’s top diplomat says his country has temporarily moved its embassy from Afghanistan to Turkey but now plans to relocate it to Qatar, where the Taliban have an office. The Gulf Arab country is also expected to play an important political role in what comes next for Afghanistan.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi earlier this month visited the Middle East. He told reporters on Tuesday that his talks with leaders in the region suggest that Doha, the capital of Qatar, would carry growing political importance. “I believe various forms of communication will take place,” Motegi said.